Shadows of Darkness
by MiyukiWolfire
Summary: *New rewritten chapters up.* After Sasori's death, Deidara kidnaps a young Jounin from Sunagakure, and the sparks begin to fly as he and his new partner go head to head. Deidara/OC
1. Taken

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any related characters, nor do I make any money from the writing of this story.

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A/N: I'm going to be tweaking the canon just a little bit, for the sake of the story. In here, the fight between Kakashi and Deidara never took place, and he still has both of his arms. Updates for this story may be slow and erratic, because as of yet I have no idea where it's going. I WILL finish it, though, but I may need your help. Any suggestions?

Anyway, thank you for reading, and, as always, review!

---

Deidara slumped against the wall of the cave, holding one hand against his crushed arm. Damn that Jinchuuriki of the sand . . . His left arm was now all but useless thanks to that brat. And Sasori . . . He had been killed.

At least his death hadn't been in vain. The others had managed to seal the One-Tail, though its host had been brought back to life.

Wincing, Deidara squeezed his arm gently, assessing the damage. The sleeve of his cloak had been ripped away, so he could clearly see what had been done. There were no visible injuries besides some scrapes and bruises, but he could feel the splintered bones beneath the skin.

He needed a healer. But where would he find one? None of the Akatsuki members knew how to heal, and the only hospitals were in the villages. He couldn't exactly walk right up to the front gates and demand to be treated. No, what he needed was a medical ninja, one that could be close at hand at all times.

His single visible azure eye narrowed in thought. In his mind, he saw a glimpse of long, dark violet hair and crimson eyes; eyes that he thought possessed the hated Sharingan at first, until he'd gotten a closer look. The girl that bore those eyes was a Sunagakure ninja, there was no way she was related to Itachi. He had noticed her during his fight with the Jinchuuriki. She was just what he needed: a medical ninja.

Pulling himself stiffly to his feet, he stepped out of the cave and reached into the pouch at his waist with his uninjured hand. He pulled out a bit of clay and began to mold it. Tossing the completed figure into the air, he formed the seal needed to expand it. Thankfully, the seal would work one-handed. The bird, now big enough to ride on, dropped to the ground and fluttered its wings once.

Deidara leapt up onto its back and settled himself. He was going to Amegakure, to talk to Pein.

---

Mika sighed as she stood up. She had been out collecting herbs all morning. The Kazekage had ordered all the medics to gather supplies, and she had been given the task of picking plants. Though it was boring, it was better than staying in the village, surrounded by the hysterical family members of the ninja that had been wounded or killed in Akatsuki's invasion.

It was hard to believe that only two ninja could cause so much damage. Not only had they slaughtered many elite ninja, they'd also managed to kidnap the Kazekage, and kill Elder Chiyo.

She had seen only one of them; the blonde young man who had taken Kazekage-sama. The night of the attack, she had been in the mansion, treating one of the assistants. He had looked right at her, and in his uncovered eye, she had seen undisguised hatred at first, then simple indifference.

Why had he looked at her like that? What had caused his sudden change in attitude? More importantly, why was she still thinking about him?

Shaking her head, she looked down at the handful of plants she carried. Even though she had been out all morning, there were no forests nearby, so plants were elusive, medicinal herbs even more so.

Tucking a stray lock of hair behind one ear, she gazed up at the sky as a shadow passed overhead. At first, she assumed it was just a falcon, until she saw how big it was. From this distance, it was the size of a large falcon, but it was up way too high for the size to be appropriate.

It was circling her, coming closer with each pass it made. Mika dropped the herbs and her mouth opened slightly as she realized what it was. The Akatsuki member that had taken the Kazekage. Why was he still here?

She looked around, searching for something, _anything_, that would help her. To her disgust, she realized that she had wandered away from any boulders that might help to protect her.

Swallowing hard, she watched as he came closer and closer. What was he going to do?

---

Deidara had been flying over the desert just east of Sunagakure when something caught his attention. Zooming in with the scope over his left eye, a wicked grin spread across his face. It was her. And she was alone. He leaned slightly to the side, and the bird began to descend in a lazy spiral.

When he was still about fifty feet above the ground, he reached into the bag at his waist once more and withdrew a piece of clay. Molding it into a small spider, he tossed it over the side of the bird, right near her.

He watched as she glanced curiously at it, but then disregarded it to gaze back up at him. With a slight smile, he formed the seal that would detonate the small bomb. It was small enough that it wouldn't injure her, but it would knock her unconscious.

Mika took a step back as she saw him make the seal. "What are you doing here?" she demanded, one hand reaching for the shuriken holster strapped to her leg.

"I wouldn't do that. You won't be quick enough. I can detonate this bomb with a single word. There's no way you'll be able to stop me, un," Deidara warned, still holding the seal.

"All I have to do is get out of range," Mika snapped. "Now answer me. What are you doing here?"

"Just passing through, un," he said silkily. "Surely you don't intend to fight me alone. You may be Jounin-level, but you're still no match for me."

Mika's eyes narrowed. "How do you know my rank?" She didn't wear the flak jacket like a lot of the others, choosing instead to wear casual clothes: an aqua-colored shirt with elbow-length sleeves. It was low-cut, so she wore a mesh shirt underneath, and black shorts.

"Your leader wouldn't let you out of the village alone unless you were capable of defending yourself. But even a Jounin can't protect themselves against Akatsuki, un."

"You sure are arrogant," she said, putting one hand on her hip, the other still hovering over the pouch on her leg.

This caused him to smirk. "I just know I can win, un."

She watched him carefully. He had an odd speech pattern, and a surprisingly deep voice, though he didn't look more than a year or two older than she was. "Are you going to attack me or not?"

Deidara lowered his hand, dropping the seal, and the bird dropped down a little lower. "I'm getting around to it. You won't be able to get out of range. I've already locked on to your chakra. That insect will follow you until it explodes, un."

"So why haven't you detonated it yet? Why haven't you killed me?"

His smirk grew a little wider. "I never intended to kill you. You're going to come back with me."

"Like hell!" Mika spat, unsnapping the clasp on the holster and grabbing a shuriken. Even as she curled her hand around it, she knew he was right: she wouldn't be fast enough.

Once more, Deidara's hand came up to form the seal. Things seemed to move in slow motion as Mika drew the shuriken out of the pouch and threw it at him. At the same time, she heard him say the word to detonate the bomb. There was a sharp pain in her arm as a flying rock cut it. Darkness overwhelmed her and she dropped to the ground, unconscious.

Deidara leaned to the side to avoid the shuriken she had thrown, then jumped off the bird as it settled to the ground. He made his way over to where Mika was and looked down at her. Her arm was bleeding slightly where the rock had cut her, but it was hardly more than a scratched. Other than that, she was unharmed.

Her bent down and gathered her under his good arm. Carrying her back to the bird, he jumped back up on it and settled her near him. He would take her back to the base, then go see Pein.

---

Some time later, the bird landed at the base of a cliff. Deidara got off and went to the wall of earth. Putting his hand on it, he muttered something and a doorway appeared, big enough for him to walk through.

He returned to the bird and retrieved Mika. Carrying her into the large anteroom, he proceeded towards a long corridor at the far right. There were nine other halls to the left of his, each one belonging to one of the other Akatsuki members.

Coming to the second door on the right, he shouldered it open and went inside.

The room was bare, save for a set of shackles on one wall. With some difficulty, he fastened the chains to her wrists, leaving her kneeling on the floor with her arms outstretched. She would wake up soon, and he wanted to be here when she did. He wasn't sure if anyone else was here at the moment, but he knew that she would wake up angry and loud. Because of that, he would need to be here, to quiet her.

The chains were designed to drain chakra, so Deidara wouldn't have to worry about her breaking out if she awoke while he was gone. The loss of chakra would also make it so he would have to wait a little longer to be healed; once she had calmed down and he could release her, but he could handle that. Besides, if he let her go while she was still at full strength, she would most definitely fight him, and with only one arm working, it would be difficult to control her.

He took the opportunity to get a better look at her. Her hair wasn't as long as he first thought, barely past her shoulders. Despite living in Sunagakure, her complexion was fairly pale; with only the slightest hint of a tan.

Standing up, Deidara went back to the door and out into the hall, locking the door behind him. It would take him just under an hour to get to Amegakure. When it was all said and done, he could be back in three hours. Closing his eyes for a moment, he felt for the presence of anyone else. He knew the first three halls would be empty, as well as the fifth, which used to belong to Orochimaru. But it seemed everyone was away.

Making his way back outside, he jumped up onto the bird's back. Once he was settled, it took off, heading for Amegakure, where Pein's base was.

---

To his surprise, it wasn't raining in Amegakure. The sun was shining through ragged silver clouds, making the village seem less gloomy. The bird took him to the center of the village, where a tower rose above the other buildings.

Deidara jumped off onto a balcony, then released the jutsu on the bird, making it shrink back down. Catching it, he put it in the pouch at his waist. He turned to see Pein sitting on the top step that led into the building.

"What is it you need? I wasn't expecting you to come. I already know about Sasori's death, and you should be resting," Pein said quietly, glancing at Deidara's injured arm.

"I want to talk to you about a new partner, un," Deidara said, sitting down on the opposite side of the steps.

Pein was silent for a moment. "Given time, I'm sure I'll be able to find a new-"

Deidara cut him off. "I've already found someone. She's from Sunagakure; a medical ninja. We can use her. No one else knows how to heal. My left arm is useless, and will be for a long time, unless I get treatment. Akatsuki needs a medic, and I need a partner, un."

"Where is she?"

"At the main base. I have her restrained right now, and she's unconscious. Once she calms down, I'll release her," Deidara answered.

"She's still part of her village, then." Pein narrowed his eyes slightly. "This could be problematic."

"Don't worry, she can't escape, and she was alone when I took her, un," Deidara told him.

"Will she cooperate, though? It'll be difficult to work with a partner who is constantly fighting you," Pein said, crossing his arms and leaning back against the wall.

"Given time, I'm sure I can bring her around."

Pein arched one eyebrow. "Let's hope so. If she can't be brought around, she'll have to be killed. We can't allow her to go back to her village."

Deidara stood up, holding his injured arm gently. "I know that. Don't worry about it. She'll be an asset to us, once she cools down a little." He turned and walked back down onto the balcony. "I have to go now. She'll be awake soon, and I'll have to be there to calm her, un."

Pein watched as Deidara reached into the bag at his waist and pulled out the bird. Tossing it into the air, he formed the hand seal that would expand it, and leapt off the balcony, onto its back.

As he headed back to the base, he thought back to the conversation. Pein had given in without a fight. What did that mean? He had never asked Pein for anything before; indeed, though he had been in Akatsuki for several years, it was rare for him to come in contact with the mysterious leader.

Laying down on his back, he stretched out, putting his good arm behind his head. His visible eye closed, and he sighed. Now that he had Pein's approval, he would need to keep his word; taming the spitting viper that was to become his partner.

But how to go about convincing her? He would need to sever her ties to her village; turn her into a loyal member of Akatsuki, or else he would never be able to let her out of his sight. If he did, she would escape, and every member of Akatsuki would be in danger.

They wouldn't be able to bribe her with money. What Deidara needed was to find something that would keep her with him of his own free will, but what?

He thought about it all the way back to the base, but by the time the bird landed, he had come up with no ideas. Sliding off the bird, he shrank it back down and returned it to the pouch.

Once he was inside, he headed straight for his hall. Before going to the room where he was keeping Mika, he stopped by his own room and retrieved a new cloak. Shedding the torn one, he put the new one on and fastened it.

He turned and went back out into the hall, placing one hand on the door to the room where Mika was. Slowly, he unlocked it and let it swing open.

There she was, still kneeling on the floor where he had left her. But one thing had changed. She was awake, and she was extremely pissed off.

---

A/N: A little shorter than I wanted it, but I wanted to save their encounter for the next chapter. Which is when I'm going to need your help for what happens next. I have the second chapter planned out, but after that . . .


	2. Meeting

Mika awoke slowly, her eyes narrowing in confusion as she took in her surroundings. The first thing she noticed was that she felt very weak. She looked to one side and frowned. Her arms were outstretched, pinioned to the wall by heavy chains. Tugging experimentally on the shackles, she realized why she felt so tired. Those chains were absorbing her chakra. Terrific.

She shifted slightly, pulling her legs out from under her and crossing them. Blood began flowing through them again, making her wince. Where was the bastard that kidnapped her? When she got her hands on him, she was going to-

The lock on the door clicked, making her freeze. Her eyes darkened as the door swung open, revealing the one that had taken her. He entered slowly, closing the door behind him and crossing the room. He knelt down on one knee several feet from her.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"So now you're going to be nice, huh?" Mika spat, raising one eyebrow. She noticed he had put on a new cloak, hiding his injured arm, though it still hung limply at his side. Her eyes widened as he leaned forward, studying her eyes carefully. "W-what are you doing?"

"I thought so. You have the same eye color, but they're not the same as his, un." He leaned back again propping his right arm on his thigh. "You never told me your name."

She sighed. "Mika," she responded, the hostility draining from her voice. Her energy was fading, and she didn't have the strength to fight with him any more. "What did you mean about my eye color?"

Deidara shot her a sideways glance. Why had she suddenly become so passive? Only a moment ago, he could practically feel the hostility radiating off of her, but now, she seemed almost . . . friendly. What had happened?

"One of the other members has a kekkei genkai that he used to trick me into joining. I've hated him for that. When he uses it, his eyes turn red, just like yours are, un," he explained. "My name is Deidara," he added, almost as an afterthought.

Mika watched him carefully. "What did you bring me here for?" she questioned.

"My partner, Master Sasori, was killed after we invaded your village. Akatsuki always work in teams of two. I need a new partner, and someone to heal my arm, un," he told her.

Her eyes widened. "Sasori? You mean . . . Sasori of the Red Sand?"

Deidara nodded. "You know of him?"

"Of course. He's a legend; the master of puppets. That's amazing that you were his partner," she said, perking up slightly.

Deidara stood up and went back over to the door. He locked it, then came back over to her.

Mika watched him, suddenly apprehensive. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm going to release you now. I need your help with something, un," he replied, reaching for the shackles on one of her wrists. As soon as it was off, Mika drew it in to her body, examining marks where the metal had dug into her skin.

When he released the other one, she pulled back, and they regarded each other, both waiting for the other to make the first move. Mika glanced down at his arm.

"I guess you want me to heal you." It wasn't a question. "I don't have much chakra left, but I guess I could try." She pulled herself to her knees and sighed.

Deidara watched her carefully. "Why did you decide to help me? A minute ago you wanted to kill me, didn't you, un?"

"I don't see any other choice. I'll need you to take off your cloak," she said.

Standing up, he unfastened his cloak and let it fall to the ground. Mika colored slightly as her eyes traveled over his clothes. He wore a sleeveless shirt, but it only came to the bottom of his ribcage. The rest of his stomach was covered by a mesh shirt, as was the top of his chest. But unlike the mesh shirt she wore, his was semi-transparent.

She swallowed hard. Why was he causing this reaction in her? She should hate him for taking her away from her village. Instead, she could feel her heartbeat increase as he sat back down.

Gently, she reached out and lifted his injured arm. A soft green glow surrounded her hands, and she saw him wince slightly as the bones in his arm began to realign.

"I don't have enough chakra to fully heal you, but I can make it so you can at least move your arm, though it'll be limited motion," Mika explained.

Deidara nodded once. "So you'll be my partner, un?"

She was silent for a moment. "All right." A secret smile crossed her face. _'I'll be your partner, but that doesn't mean I'll make it easy for you.'_ As soon as she got her strength back, she was going to make his life a living hell.

Mika shook her head as her vision began to blur. She was about to run out of chakra. Taking her hands off of Deidara's arm, she sat back, breathing hard. "Try moving your arm now."

Cautiously, he raised his arm and rotated his wrist. "It's stiff, but it works, un," he told her.

"I'll finish healing you tomorrow. I don't have enough chakra right now," she said. "Don't do anything with that arm until I can finish up the healing, or everything will be undone."

Deidara watched her carefully. She was pale, and a light sheen of sweat covered her face. He stood up and extended his right hand to her. "I'll make you a deal. If you behave yourself, I'll let you out of here. But if you won't, I'll be forced to kill you, un."

Mika sighed. "That's always how it is, huh? Be a good girl or lose your life." She looked at his hand for a moment, then placed hers in it, letting him pull her up. "All right, then. I'll behave." _'For now'._

She swallowed hard as she felt his thumb gently caress the back of her hand.

Deidara saw her reaction and smirked a little. He could feel her heartbeat through their grip; it had sped up. _Was she attracted to him?_ If so, he could use that as an incentive to keep her in Akatsuki. If he could bind her to him somehow . . .

His grip changed, his hand wrapping around her wrist. Mika was surprised to see that his hand fit easily around her wrist, with room to spare. He was only a few inches taller than she was, but, she realized now, her hands were much smaller. Her mouth went dry as he stepped closer, holding her in place. His hold wasn't painful, merely firm.

At this point, Mika couldn't tell if the weakness in her body was because of her lack of chakra, or something else. He was only a foot away now, and she could smell him. It was an odd scent; a mix between the way the earth smelled after a storm, and something sweet-smelling -an herb, maybe-, though she couldn't identify it.

She wouldn't look at him, focusing her gaze instead on the top of his shirt. If she looked him in the eye, she was afraid of what he would be able to see in her own eyes. Her heart leapt as she felt him lean forward, putting his mouth close to her ear.

"That's my girl. Good choice, agreeing to behave, un," he said, his voice soft.

Mika's eyes closed, her eyebrows knitting together as she tried to take her mind off of how close he was. A sudden warm wetness on her wrist made her inhale sharply and jerk back, eyes opening and watching Deidara with a mix of annoyance and curiosity. What was that? It felt almost like . . .

With some difficulty, Deidara held up his other hand, showing her his palm. In it was . . .

"What is that?" she asked, staring at the mouth. It was closed at the moment, looking like nothing more than a line running across his hand. But she had seen it. It had teeth, even a tongue . . . which was what she had felt on her wrist a moment ago.

Deidara had dropped her hand when she had jerked away, and he watched as she brought it up in front of her and touched it gently with her other hand. He could tell she was unnerved.

"I use them to mold my clay, un," he said, extending his hand so she could examine it.

Mika nodded once, but kept her distance. She looked around the room. "Um, am I going to have to stay in here all day?" she asked. Her arms and legs were stiff from lack of motion, and her wrists were sore. She needed to get out and walk around.

Deidara regarded her for a moment, then stepped forward, reaching around behind her head to untie her headband. He pulled it off, then handed it to her. She took it, raising one eyebrow in confusion. "I'll let you out of here on one condition. You have to show me that you won't try to go back to your village. Mark through the symbol, un."

She looked down at the headband, tracing the symbol of Sunagakure gently. Biting her lip, she reached into the bag strapped to her waist and hesitantly withdrew a kunai. After taking a deep breath, she knelt down and placed the headband on the floor. Slowly, she rested the tip of the kunai on one side of the metal.

If she marked through the symbol, she would be declaring herself a missing-nin. But if she didn't, Deidara would kill her. In one swift motion, she cut through the metal.

A wicked grin crossed Deidara's face as he watched her drop the kunai and bow her head. She couldn't go back to her village now. She had marked through the headband with her own hand, declaring her defection. He reached down and pulled her back upright, picking up her headband with his other hand. "You belong to Akatsuki now." He carefully tied her headband back into place. "And to me, un."

Crimson met blue as Deidara took her chin in one hand and tilted her face up to lock gazes with her. The expression in her eyes was intoxicating to him. His words had ignited a fire in her; he could see it in her wide eyes. It was a mix of anger, defiance, and - he smirked- hidden beneath the other emotions, lust. _Perfect_. All he had to do was kindle that one feeling, and she really would be his.

"I belong to you? When did we make that arrangement?" Mika hissed, searching his single eye for any clue to his thoughts, but all she could see was satisfaction.

"In marking through your headband, you've proved your loyalty to Akatsuki, and as my partner. As you know, we always work in teams of two. You are my new partner, so we belong to each other, un," Deidara explained, releasing her chin and resting his hand on her upper arm instead.

Mika tilted her head slightly to the side at this. "We belong to each other?" she repeated. His words a moment ago made it sound like it was one-way, like the ownership of an object. But now . . . Had he misspoken? She didn't think so. He had said that deliberately.

"That's right, un," he confirmed, closing the distance that had appeared between them. Mika was up against the wall now; he had made sure she couldn't get away from him.

"Does that mean you belong to me too?" she asked, her voice barely more than a whisper.

Deidara was silent. His left hand came up, and he ran a gentle finger down her cheek. His caress continued down her neck, over her shoulder, then jumped from her arm to her side, finally stopping on the curve of her waist.

Her mind screamed at her to get away from him, but her body was unresponsive. Everything she had been taught about Akatsuki warned her that he was dangerous, and that she needed to put distance between them. But she was one of them now; his partner. He wouldn't hurt her.

She waited for his answer, conscious of his hand still on her waist.

Another step towards her brought their bodies flush against each other. Mika's hands came up to rest on his chest. She intended to push him away, but found herself hesitating. Why couldn't she do it? Was it because the lack of chakra had made her weak, or because in the back of her mind, she didn't want him to move? She tried to convince herself it was the former, but the longer they stood there, the more she began to doubt it. He was having an effect on her, for better or worse.

Curling his left arm around her waist, Deidara used his free hand to tilt her face up. He smirked as he felt her breathing speed up. She was trembling slightly, so faintly that he almost couldn't feel it. Ever so slowly, he leaned forward to whisper in her ear, "Yes, I belong to you, un." Pulling back, he brushed his lips across hers in a fleeting kiss.

Mika's blood erupted into flames. The kiss was over before she had the chance to register it in her mind, but she felt lightheaded, and extremely hot. She wanted to say something, but her voice was gone. Swallowing hard, she tried again.

"Why did you do that?" she whispered. She meant to sound angry and accusing, but the tone that the question took was curious instead.

"A present, for agreeing to help us," he said, removing his hand from her chin and twirling a lock of her hair around one finger. He leaned forward again, and Mika's heart leapt as she realized he intended to kiss her again.

But, to her disappointment, he suddenly jerked back, taking his hand from her waist and stepping away from her. Movement over his shoulder caught her attention, and she watched a shape rise out of the floor. It was vaguely human-shaped, and wore the Akatsuki cloak. But above the cloak were a pair of giant leaves. They were closed at the moment, hiding what was within.

"What is it, Zetsu?" Deidara asked, trying to keep the annoyance out of his voice.

The leaves opened, revealing a face that was jet black on one side, and pure white on the other. "Pein has a mission for you. At dawn, you must go and retrieve Sasori's ring." Mika noticed that it was the black half that spoke. His voice was somewhat cold.

"We're not interrupting anything, are we?" the white half asked in a much lighter, friendlier voice. His golden eye sparkled mischievously.

Deidara growled quietly, his eye narrowing. "Of course not. I was just explaining to her how we do things around here, un," he snapped.

Zetsu's black half raised his eyebrow, but neither half said anything more. The leaves closed once more, and he sank through the floor, leaving Deidara and Mika alone again.

"That was fast. I didn't expect Pein to give us a mission so quickly," Deidara said, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms carefully. "You probably won't even be awake at dawn, if your chakra hasn't restored itself yet, un."

Mika looked at him thoughtfully. "If I get a good night's sleep, I'll be fine by morning. I can finish healing you, then we can go bring back the ring," she said.

"And you'll have enough chakra to carry out the mission safely, un?" he asked, watching her out of the corner of his eye.

"If I'm careful; using only what's strictly necessary to heal you, I'll be fine," she assured him.

Deidara stepped away from the wall and picked up his cloak. Folding it over one arm, he went to the door, reaching into a pocket for the key. He unlocked the door and opened it, stepping out into the hall.

"Coming?" he asked, looking over his shoulder when he realized Mika wasn't behind him.

"You mean . . . you're letting me out?" she asked, crossing the room slowly.

"I made you a deal, didn't I? You behave and I won't keep you here, un," he responded, closing the door as Mika came to stand beside him.

"Yes, but I thought you meant out of the shackles, not out of the room," she confessed, brushing her bangs out of her eyes with one hand, and frowning when she caught sight of the angry red marks the metal cuffs had left on her wrist.

"You'll never get a good rest in an empty room, un," he remarked casually, turning to head farther down the hall, stopping at the fourth door on the left.

Mika followed him cautiously, unsure of what he was insinuating. When he opened the door and went inside, she peered around the door curiously.

The room was fairly large, lit by torches set in each corner. Beneath one of them was a bed, and a table was near it. In another corner was a second table; this one larger. A pack was in the middle of it, though Mika couldn't tell what was inside it. The rest of the room was bare, but she could sense Deidara's presence in it, almost as if his chakra were ingrained into the walls. This was his room.

She stood in the doorway, watching him as he went over to the table and put his cloak down on it. He turned to look at her.

"Come on inside, un," he said, motioning with his hand.

Mika stepped inside and closed the door, but advanced no farther into the room.

Deidara, still watching her, sighed in exasperation and went over to her. He wrapped his hand around her wrist and pulled her over to the table. He sat her down on one side, then took the opposite chair for himself. Reaching into the pack, he withdrew a small black bottle.

Mika watched him warily as he opened it, then reached for her hand.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"It's just nail color, don't worry," he assured her, holding up the bottle. "Every member of Akatsuki wears it, un."

She allowed him to carefully put the nail color on her. While it was drying, she looked around.

"Where am I going to sleep tonight?" she asked. Her head was turned, so she didn't see the wicked smirk that appeared on Deidara's face.

He stood up and went across the room seating himself on the edge of the bed. "Right here, un," he said, patting the blankets with one hand.

"And you?"

The grin grew wider. "Same place. Since you don't have a hall of your own, you'll have to stay with me, un."

Mika's head snapped around. "Sleep in the same room - in the same _bed_ - as you?"

'_Oh _hell_ no.'_


	3. Getting to Know You

Deidara watched her, his eye half-closed in amusement. It seemed she wasn't too pleased with the sleeping arrangements. Tonight was going to be fun.

He stood up and lit a candle that was on the table near the bed. Making his way around the room, he put out the torches, leaving the room only faintly illuminated by the candle. Mika watched his every move warily.

Sitting back down on the bed, he looked over at Mika, who was still perched on the edge of her chair. He extended his hand, coiling his index finger back towards himself in the classic 'come here' motion.

Mika hesitated, then stood up, walking slowly over to him.

"I'm not gonna bite you, un," he said, catching hold of her arm and pulling her down next to him.

She looked up at him, tilting her head slightly to the side. "Do you always wear that thing?" she asked, nodding to the scope covering his left eye. She actually liked how it made him look, but she was still curious about it.

"Yeah, most of the time, un," he answered. He shifted positions, leaning back against the wall with his legs outstretched, crossed at the ankle.

Mika bit her lip, debating her next move. She wanted to see what he looked like without the scope, but she didn't want to just ask him to take it off.

Before she could lose her nerve, she pulled her legs underneath her and crawled towards him on her hands and knees. Straddling his thighs, she sat there for a moment.

Deidara's eye widened at her sudden show of courage. That was the last thing he had expected her to do. He watched as her hand came up to gently brush his bangs aside. His eye closed when she touched the warm metal of the scope, and when he didn't stop her, she carefully removed it.

After a moment, both of his eyes opened, and Mika saw that his left eye was just as blue as the right. She had expected . . . Well, she wasn't sure _what _she had expected. That his left eye was a different color, maybe, and that's why he always wore the scope. But no; both of his eyes were a clear azure blue, and were currently watching her with an expression that was a mix between surprise and content.

Her show of daring almost made Deidara smile. A partner with guts was what he needed, and for her to suddenly straddle him like that, and take off his scope just to satisfy her curiosity . . . She was perfect for being his partner.

"Why do you wear it all the time?" She sat down lightly, practically in his lap, her hands resting on her thighs. She still held his scope in her right hand.

Deidara was silent for a moment. "You know that I was tricked into joining Akatsuki. Itachi used a genjutsu on me, turning my attack back on myself. I hated him for tricking me, and decided that one day I would kill him. But to do that, I would need to be able to see through his genjutsu. So, I trained my left eye to be immune to the genjutsu's effects. I wear the scope so that my vision isn't messed up. The fact that it also helps in long-range battles is just a bonus, un."

Mika looked at him for a moment longer, then glanced down at the scope. Carefully, she replaced it over his eye. She smiled slightly, preferring how he looked with the scope on. But the smile faded almost instantly, and she looked away. No, she would _not_ let herself be charmed by him. He had taken her away from his village; she should hate him. But although she was still annoyed by that fact, something about him just . . . called to her. She _couldn't _hate him.

A slight shift beneath her reminded her of where she was. She rolled to the right, settling into the corner with her knees drawn up to her chest.

Deidara noticed with some amusement that she was blushing slightly. As he watched, she moved, sliding down the wall and curling up into a ball, her back to him.

Mika kicked her boots off, stretched her legs out, then rolled over onto her back, still keeping as far away from him as possible. She had allowed herself to relax slightly, and now fatigue was creeping up on her.

Turning his head slightly so he could see her, Deidara watched as she fought against the wave of exhaustion. Soon, her eyes closed, and her breathing deepened. He rolled over onto his side, propping his head up carefully on his left hand. He noticed that she looked different when she was really asleep.

Before, when she was only unconscious, her countenance had seemed troubled; eyebrows knit together, her breathing shallow and uneven. But now, when she was truly resting, Deidara could almost forget how much of a hard time she had given him. His eye narrowed thoughtfully. He had to find a way to win her over. Playing with her had been fun, but he wanted to know what she looked like when she really smiled. He knew she had liked it when he had kissed her; he had felt her pulse quicken, saw the fire in her eyes that wasn't from anger, but something else.

If he could get her to use that hostility on someone else, they would be a dangerous pair, the way he and Sasori had been. He wanted that power back; the feeling that he could get away with anything. But he had been arrogant before, and he had paid for it with his left arm, and, more importantly, Sasori's life. He wouldn't make that mistake again.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when Mika rolled onto her side, towards him. Her left hand came out to lightly grasp the front of his shirt. What was she doing? Deidara knew that she was still asleep, there was no way she would do that if she were awake. He watched her curiously. Did she always cling to things when she was asleep?

He frowned a little. Maybe he should move her. If she awoke and found them in this compromising position, he knew she would immediately assume the worst. His thought processes were abruptly cut off when Mika shifted once again, this time snuggling up against his chest.

This made him pause. From her prickly personality when she was awake, he never would have figured she would be the type to cling to things in her sleep.

A quiet sigh escaped his lips. It would be impossible for him to move now, unless he woke her up. Carefully, he rested his head on his arm and closed his eyes. Soon, he had drifted off to sleep.

---

The first thing Mika noticed before she even opened her eyes was a familiar scent. _His_ scent. Her eyes flew open and at first, all she could see was a mesh-covered chest. Pulling backwards slightly, she realized that she had been sleeping right up against him. How had that happened? She had fallen asleep as far away from him as possible, so how had she ended up using him for a pillow?

Scooting backwards, she got a good look at Deidara. He was still asleep, laying on his left side with his head resting on his arm.

Her eyes narrowed slightly at this. She would have to move that arm if she was going to finish healing it. But could she get it out from under him without waking him up? Cautiously, she reached out, straightening his arm out and turning him over onto his back. The soft green glow from the healing jutsu surrounded her hands, bathing the room in an eerie light.

Mika's eyes flickered to Deidara's face as she saw his brow furrow. His eye opened slowly, and he glanced over at her, his vision still blurry from sleep.

"Was it the light that woke you, or the bones mending?" she asked, gazing down at him.

Deidara was somewhat surprised. Her voice was soft, almost gentle, even. All the venom that had been in her words before had vanished. He had to wonder why. Was she starting to warm up to him, or was her lack of hostility because she had just woken up? Either way, it was a welcome change.

"A little of both, un," he told her, gritting his teeth as he felt the bones shifting, sending white-hot needles of pain lancing up his arm. Interesting how healing broken bones hurt almost as much as receiving them in the first place.

A few minutes later, Mika removed her hands from his arm and sat back on the bed. "There we go, completely healed. You'll notice some stiffness for a couple of days, but it'll go away."

Deidara sat up and flexed his arm, inspecting it carefully. The bruising was gone, and it had returned to the normal lightly-tanned color. A quick smile crossed his face.

"Thanks," he said, standing up. He stretched luxuriously, and Mika heard his back and neck cracking as he worked the tension out of them.

Mika blinked in surprise. She hadn't expected him to thank her. "You're welcome," she responded.

Deidara finished stretching and went over to the table. He picked up his cloak and put it on, fastening the clasps. Turning to look at her, he held up one finger. "Wait here, I'll be right back, un." Going to the door, he opened it and stepped outside.

Mika watched him go, then slid off the bed, putting her boots on. She thought back to last night. Maybe he wasn't as bad as she'd first thought. Twice now she had been defenseless in front of him, and neither time had he tried to do anything to her. Plus - though she would never admit it out loud - sleeping curled up against him had been quite comfortable. He had kept her warm, and she loved the way he smelled.

She closed her eyes, eyebrows knitting together. This wasn't right. Was she falling for him?

Her head snapped up as the door opened, jerking her out of her musings. Deidara entered, another cloak folded over his arm. He made his way over to the bed and handed her the cloak.

Taking it, she stood up and shook it out. "Where do you get all of these? This is the third one I've seen in two days."

"Our missions tend to be a little rough. It's not uncommon for our cloaks to get torn. Every member has a few extras, un," he explained, stepping back and crossing his arms. "Try it on."

Mika nodded once and slid her arms through the long sleeves. It was a little big on her; the ends of the sleeves coming almost to the tips of her fingers, where on Deidara they stopped in the middle of his hands.

She fastened the clasps, leaving the top one open. Looking back up at Deidara, she raised her eyebrows, silently asking for his opinion.

He nodded in approval, and, for the first time, he saw her smile. Looking down at herself, she ran her hands over the fabric, smoothing out the wrinkles. The hem barely brushed her ankles, and she pulled at the high collar, straightening it.

"This is going to take some getting used to," she said. Fighting in the baggy cloak was going to be difficult; she was used to the light fabric of her own clothes. The cloak was made of a heavier material, though she noticed it was still fairly thin. She would still have free motion; the fabric was soft, and would allow for a full range of movement. Once she got used to the length, it wouldn't cause her any problems.

"It's almost sunrise, we need to get going, un," Deidara told her, going back to the door.

"Okay." She followed him as he opened the door . . . and almost crashed right into someone standing just outside.

Mika stopped abruptly, taking in the appearance of the one standing in front of Deidara. He was a couple of inches taller, and looked to be a year or two older. His black hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, and his eyes were dark- at least, she _thought _they were. For a moment, she could have sworn she saw them flash crimson. But when she looked again, they were dark and expressionless once more. The top clasp on his cloak was unbuttoned, and she could see he wore a necklace with metal circles.

Deidara's back stiffened and he took a step back. "What is it, Itachi?" he asked, ice dripping from his words.

Mika narrowed her eyes. This was the one who had tricked Deidara into joining; who could use deadly genjutsu? She froze as his midnight eyes settled on her. He glanced at the cloak she wore, then at her headband. One eyebrow raised slightly.

"You've already replaced Sasori? How did you find someone so quickly?" His voice was just as expressionless as his eyes, but Mika could sense something cold beneath his calm demeanor.

"She's a medic, which we need. My arm was broken, and she was nearby, un," Deidara said. His voice was calm, but strained. It wasn't hard to see how much he disliked the dark-haired young man in front of him. "Now, I'll say it again. What do you want?"

"I wanted to see if what Zetsu told me was the truth." Itachi's eyes flickered from Deidara back to Mika. "Obviously it was. Let's hope she will be an adequate addition to Akatsuki. At this point, we can't afford to have weak members."

Mika felt annoyance well up inside her. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and she stepped up beside Deidara. Itachi had some nerve, insulting her when he didn't even know her. She glanced at his headband. Konohagakure. Her eyebrows knit together. She had heard about the Akatsuki member from Konoha. He was once a part of the illustrious Uchiha clan, until he slaughtered them all. When Deidara mentioned his name before, she thought it sounded familiar, thought she couldn't place it. But now she knew. This was the one responsible for the Uchiha massacre.

Steeling herself, Mika left Deidara's side, brushing past Itachi and stopping a few steps away. "We have a mission to carry out," she said, regarding Itachi coldly over her shoulder. Though something about him sent chills though her body, she wouldn't let him see that. She didn't take kindly to those who insulted her, even if they did frighten her a little.

In all honesty, Itachi didn't look like a bad person. Under the right circumstances, he seemed as if he might actually be worth getting to know. But despite the air of mystery that clung to him, the way he carried himself made her conscious of the fact that he was still an elite ninja, and shouldn't be taken lightly.

Itachi looked over at Deidara. "A mission so soon? You just got back from capturing the Jinchuuriki. Pein certainly isn't wasting any time, is he? It's only been a day since we finished sealing the One-Tail. What could be so important that it takes priority over regaining your strength?"

"Master Sasori's ring. Pein wants us to go bring it back, un." Deidara's eye narrowed slightly. "Since when have you been this interested in others' missions? You usually keep to yourself. Why the sudden urge to be sociable?"

"Because it's bad manners to not introduce yourself to others," said a new voice. They turned to see a figure standing at the entrance to the hall. Like Itachi, he wore the Akatsuki cloak, but his appearance . . . He had short blue-black hair that spiked upwards, and skin that reminded Mika of a shark. Indeed, his whole appearance was shark-like, from his needle-like teeth to his eyes. He wore a giant sword strapped to his back, but instead of a sheath, there were bandages wrapped around the blade.

He stepped closer and smiled. On any other person, that smile would have been friendly, but on him, it looked almost predatory. "I'm Kisame, Itachi-san's partner. You must be Sasori-san's replacement. Zetsu-san told us about you."

"My name is Mika," she said quietly. She wasn't very fond of everyone referring to her as "Sasori's replacement", but as they didn't know her name at the time, they really didn't have anything else to call her.

Besides that was the fact that, besides Deidara, none of the others saw her as a member of Akatsuki yet. She would need to prove that she was good enough to be one of them. At the moment, though, she wasn't sure what she would have to do to earn their respect. Would retrieving Sasori's ring be enough, or would she have to do something by herself?

"As fun as this little get-together is, Mika and I do have a mission to complete. We can finish chatting later, un," Deidara said, walking towards Mika. "It's been four days already since Master Sasori was killed. We have to get that ring back before anyone else finds it."

Mika looked over at him. "Why is that ring so important?" she asked. Deidara held up his right hand. On his index finger was a ring with the character for 'blue'."

"There were ten rings made, once for each member of Akatsuki's inner circle. We're missing one; Orochimaru took his with him when he left. We have to get Master Sasori's ring back because if anyone were to find it, it would put all of us in danger, un," he explained.

"Are you saying they can track you through the ring?" she asked incredulously. "But how?"

"As you're aware, everyone has a unique chakra signature," Kisame spoke up from in front of them. "It wouldn't be difficult for a ninja who is a chakra sensor to trace Sasori-san's signature from Sunagakure back to here, or any of our other bases."

Mika was silent for a moment. "What about me? Could they trace my signature from the place where Deidara took me?" At this point, she had mixed feelings about this. On one hand, if someone did find her, she might be able to go back home. But then, the ninja that found her would kill Deidara and the others. And if they weren't killed outright, they would be taken back to their villages and tortured. Either way, the outcome was death, and she didn't think she wanted that.

Of course, all that was assuming she _did_ get to go home. In all forms, she was now a member of Akatsuki. The clothes and the nail color may have been overlooked by any would-be rescuers, but not the glaringly obvious slash though her headband.

Her whirling mind was brought to a halt at Deidara's next words.

"No. The chakra signature only works on the ground. I brought you here by air. There's nothing to trace, un." He walked past Kisame. "Now, we can finish talking later."

Mika followed him, turning to bow to Kisame, and, after a moment's hesitation, to Itachi.

Deidara led her out of his hall and into the large anteroom. To her left, she could see a long table set near the wall. There were ten high-backed chairs around it, five on either side, but they were all vacant at the moment.

A low rumbling brought her attention back to the front of the room, and she saw a door had opened in the wall.

"Let's go, un," Deidara said, stepping outside. Mika followed slowly, going out into the early dawn light, and getting her first glimpse of where she had been taken.

---

A/N: I couldn't help myself, I just _had_ to screw with Deidara by making Mika a clinger. (wicked grin) And damn Kisame for being so formal. Three honorific titles in one paragraph . . . Waaay too much.


	4. Mission

The morning air was cool, making Mika shiver slightly, despite the cloak she wore. Autumn was fast approaching. She usually didn't have a problem with cold weather, except that it made medicinal herbs even harder to find. One good thing about living in Sunagakure was that it never got cold enough to kill the meager supply of plants that could be found in the desert.

Often, the Land of Wind had to rely on supplies imported from other lands. Mika smiled slightly as a thought struck her. Akatsuki traveled all over the lands. That meant she was no longer limited to just what Sunagakure could offer her.

She was suddenly jerked out of her thoughts when a sound resembling a muffled explosion drew her attention. Turning her head to the right, she saw Deidara standing beside a bird similar to the one she had first seen him riding. As she watched, he jumped up onto it, then turned to look at her.

"Come on. It'll take us a couple of hours to get there, but it's a lot faster than walking, un," he told her.

Mika hesitated for a moment, then leapt up beside him. She knelt down, but much to her surprise, he remained standing. Her eyes clenched shut as she felt the bird take off.

Looking down at her, Deidara noticed that her fingers were digging into the bird, leaving deep furrows in the clay. He knelt down beside her, then bent forward to peer into her face. "You okay, un?"

When she didn't immediately reply, he shook her shoulder gently. "Hey, what is it?"

Her right hand came up to grasp his wrist, and he was surprised to see her knuckles turn white. "Heights. I hate heights." Her voice was low and forced.

This made him pause. She was afraid of heights? That was unexpected. If she was going to be his partner, she would have to get used to flying. All of his long-distance travel was done by air.

"You're perfectly safe. Unless I release the jutsu, nothing is going to happen, un," Deidara assured her.

Mika cracked one eye open and looked over at him. She relaxed slightly, releasing his wrist, for which he was grateful; he was beginning to lose the feeling in it.

He wracked his mind, trying to think of something to talk to her about, to take her mind off the fact that she was a couple of thousand feet above the ground. There was one thing he could talk to her about, though it might not be in his best interest to bring it up. Still though, he wanted to see her reaction.

"Did you sleep well last night?" he asked casually, sitting down beside her and propping one arm on a bent knee. He saw her stiffen slightly, and look up at him. All trace of fear was gone from her eyes now. Instead, they flashed with something he couldn't quite identify. Anger? Embarrassment? Or maybe . . .

Mika looked at him through eyes half-narrowed in suspicion. It was an innocent enough question, but she heard a note lurking in his voice that told her he was looking for a specific answer. He knew how she had ended up snuggled up against him, didn't he? But though she wanted to know, she wouldn't rise to the bait.

"Fine, thank you," she said cheerily, trying to throw him off-guard.

"You didn't get cold? Because the base is really just a big cave, it can get cold at night, un." He watched her carefully out of the corner of his eye.

"Not in the least. Somehow I stayed completely warm." She met his gaze evenly, trying to give nothing away, though she was eaten up with curiosity. She hated it when people kept secrets from her; ironic really, since secrets were a major part of being a ninja.

"Hmm, interesting." A wicked grin crossed his face. "From the way you were holding on to me, I'd say that you were at least a little cold, un."

Mika's face became inflamed and she lowered her head, her hair falling across her face in an obscuring curtain.

"You should've told me you hold on to things in your sleep. I'm not used to having someone in my bed. If you do that every night, it's going to take some getting used to, un," he remarked, almost casually.

Mika's head came up and she stared incredulously at him. Did she hear that right? No, surely not. He had said that he wasn't _used_ to sharing his bed, not that he never had. Damn him for making comments that could be misinterpreted. But still . . . it made her wonder. Was she the first one he'd shared a bed with, even though nothing had happened between them? He had certainly seemed to know what he was doing when he had kissed her. But then, she reminded herself, lots of people knew how to seduce others while never having engaged in any further activity themselves. But was Deidara one of them? Surely not.

Mika shook her head, trying to shake loose this somewhat embarrassing train of thought. Still though, if she _were_ the first to share his bed . . . A tingle ran through her, followed by an immediate lock-down on that errant though. _No_. She couldn't let herself think that. She wasn't attracted to him . . . was she?

Deidara watched her out of the corner of his eye. His remark had been simple enough, but it seemed to have set off a landslide of thoughts within her. He wanted to know what those thoughts were; he could practically see the gears turning in her head. Whatever she was thinking about, it was intense.

After a moment, her eyes lost their glazed look and she focused on him once more. To her relief, she had managed to push those images out of her mind, and lock them securely away; or at least, she _hoped_ they had been locked away. It wouldn't do for them to suddenly spring up and cause such an unfavorable reaction in her. She hated it when she wasn't able to control everything that went on with her body, and the sensations that were awakened when those thoughts went through her head were most definitely out of control.

Deciding to take the conversation into his own hands, Deidara asked, "Why did you decide to be my partner?"

Mika was quiet for a moment. "I either had to join you or be killed. I'm not afraid to die, but that doesn't mean I _want_ to."

"So you abandoned your village because you didn't want to die, un?" he asked skeptically. "You must not have been very loyal to begin with, if you left so easily." Deidara turned his head to fully look at her.

Mika's eyes flashed. "Don't you dare say that! I _am_ loyal to my village. I just . . ." She trailed off, the heat leaving her voice. "I don't know why I did it. Maybe I just needed a change." She leaned back, finally relaxing completely, and closed her eyes for a moment. To her surprise, she actually liked the feel of the wind on her face. The morning sun on her back warmed her, and she looked over at Deidara.

Her hostility towards him had all but melted away, to be replaced by curiosity. "Tell me about yourself," she coaxed. "If we're going to be partners, I think we should know a little more about each other, don't you?"

Deidara gazed back at her for a moment, then lay down on his back, hands behind his head, one knee crossed over the other. "There's really not much to tell, un. I was born in Iwagakure, but when I turned sixteen, I left so I could work on my art. The villagers didn't understand my tastes, and many ridiculed me. After I left, I became an assassin bomber for anyone who would hire me. Not long after that, Akatsuki's leader, Pein, found out about me and decided I would make a good member. He sent Itachi, Kisame, and Master Sasori to find me. Itachi challenged me to a battle, promising to leave me alone if I won. He tricked me with his genjutsu, and I lost. I was partnered with Master Sasori and inducted into Akatsuki. That's really all there is to it, un."

"What do you mean by art? Are you a painter or something?" Mika asked. To her surprise, this prompted a short bark of laughter from the blonde.

"My bombs are my art," he said, patting the bird beneath them with one hand.

Mika stiffened suddenly. "This thing is a bomb?" she asked, panic rising in her voice.

"No, this one is just clay," he assured her. "I can make both explosives and regular sculptures. I know better than to make a bomb out of something I use for transportation." He gazed up at the clouds, his eye half-closed. "Art is something that should enter and exit this world quickly. The people of my village didn't understand that, and that's why I left, un. Master Sasori had different views on art; he thought it should be eternal. Since he was a fellow artist, and a good one, I didn't question him, even though I didn't agree."

Mika watched him for a moment, then stretched out on her side a short distance away. She propped her head up on one hand and smiled slightly. "You had a lot of respect for him, didn't you?" she asked.

"We had our differences sometimes, but yes, I did, un," he replied, closing his eye completely.

"Not still sleepy, are you?" she asked, a hint of teasing in her voice. A slight smile crossed her face as she was fixed with a light blue gaze.

"No. But we have a way to go; might as well get comfortable, un," he said, his eye closing once more.

"Umm . . . I'm sorry about last night. If I made you uncomfortable, I mean. I'm used to sleeping alone, so I didn't know I held on to things," she said quietly, looking away and blushing faintly.

This caused Deidara to prop himself up on one elbow and look at her. She was apologizing? That was unexpected. He shook his head for a moment, then lay back down. "You don't have to apologize, un."

She waited for him to say more, but he was silent. A thought suddenly struck her. "If you have a whole hall to yourself, then why did I have to sleep in your room? Surely at least one of those other rooms were empty."

A half-smile appeared on Deidara's face, but from her position, Mika couldn't see it.

"I had to be sure you wouldn't escape during the night, un. Even if I had've locked you in, I'm sure you would have found a way to break the lock. After all, you're a Jounin. I'm sure escaping from locked rooms was part of your training. That's why I used chakra-absorbing chains on you; so you wouldn't have the strength to break out, un," he explained.

"But I had already promised you I would stay. I even marked though my headband," she protested, sitting up and tucking her legs underneath her.

"Promises are worthless to ninja, and headbands can be taken off, un."

Mika's eyes narrowed slightly and she crawled forward, until she was right beside him, peering into his face.

"What do you mean 'promises are worthless'? They're everything, _especially_ to ninja. When we resolve to do something, we keep trying until we succeed, or until we die." She was quiet for a moment. "What happened to you to make you think like that? Who broke an important promise?"

Deidara looked up at her, and she could see bitterness in his gaze.

"A year before I left the village, my team was sent out on a mission, un. We were to retrieve a stolen scroll from a gang of bandits. The mission was simple enough, so only one squad was dispatched. It was a setup. The bandits hadn't stolen the scroll for themselves, but for ninja from an enemy village. Our squad was ambushed, and I was captured. One of my team was killed, and the other . . . His true nature was revealed. He begged the ninja to let him live, in exchange for my life. He threw me to the wolves, just so they would spare him, un. Before we left the village, we had sworn to protect each other at any cost, but he broke that vow.

"The ninja let him escape, figuring it wasn't worth the trouble to kill him. They decided to use me for ransom, and kept me alive. I eventually managed to escape, using my explosives. When I went back to the village, I found out my team member had told them I was dead, un. I wasn't very popular in the village by then, so when I finally turned up safe, there wasn't much of a reaction. I think that day was when I resolved to leave the village one day, un."

By the time he finished his story, Mika's eyes had narrowed again; not in suspicion this time, but in sympathy. So that's what had happened. No wonder he hadn't believed her when she said she would stay.

She knew betrayal and lies were part of the ninja world, but that didn't make them hurt any less. Hesitantly, her hand came out to rest on his arm.

"Thank you for telling me that," she whispered. Somehow, she knew that he had never told anyone else about that. It touched her to know that he had opened up to her like that, though she doubted he would do it again.

Deidara watched her carefully. What had happened to her? Did that story really make her show her soft side? He exhaled, making a sound not unlike a sigh. This girl was strange.

"How much longer until we get to where we're going?" Mika asked, taking her hand off of his arm. Her voice had returned to normal, though she still sat beside him.

"Half an hour or so, un," he answered absently, closing his eye and relaxing.

"Tell me, why did you kidnap the Kazekage?" she questioned.

"You know that he is the host of the One-Tailed Beast, un?" Deidara said.

Mika nodded. "Of course. Everyone in the village knows that."

"We are gathering all nine of the Jinchuuriki, extracting the Tailed Beasts from within them, and sealing the Beasts away. Once we have all nine, we'll be able to take the lands for our own, un," he explained.

"How many of them have you sealed?"

"Only one for now. It's difficult to capture them. The hosts have to be on the brink of death for the extraction to be successful. But if they die, we lose the Tailed Beasts within them, un," Deidara told her.

"And the hosts? What happens to them when the Beasts are extracted?" She had a nasty feeling she already knew.

"They die, un," he said bluntly.

Mika's brow furrowed. Yeah, that's what she thought. Although, how could that be? The Kazekage was . . . Oh, that's right. Elder Chiyo had given her life in a Jutsu to resurrect him. So that was how he had been killed: having the One-Tail extracted. The retrieval squad and the Konoha ninja had only told them that Gaara had died battling Akatsuki, but had been brought back to life by Elder Chiyo. They never clarified how exactly he died. Unsettled, she decided to change topics.

"I don't understand something. If you're no longer part of your village, why do you still wear your headband?" she asked.

Deidara stood up and scanned the landscape. They should be getting close to the cave where Sasori had been killed. He thought about her question for a moment - why did she want to know so much about him, anyway? "I don't know that everyone else's reason is the same as mine, but I keep my headband because I am proud of defecting, un. I wear the slash through the symbol more proudly than I ever wore the symbol by itself." He glanced down at her. "What about you? You still wear your headband, even though you defected against your will, un. I would think that reminder would be painful."

"I still wear it because . . ." she trailed off. Why _did_ she still wear it? If anyone from her village were to find her and see that mark through the symbol, she would be in deep trouble. Even if she wore the cloak, as long as her headband was intact, she might still be able to talk her way out of trouble. Finally, the gave the simplest answer: "I still wear it because I'm used to it. Ever since I graduated from the Academy, I've always worn it. To take it off now . . . It would be like a part of me is missing, you know? When you've worn something for six years, if you ever take it off, it's almost like losing a part of yourself."

Deidara widened his stance slightly for balance, and Mika felt the bird begin to descend. The cave was right beneath them, and, somewhere inside, was Sasori's ring. They just had to find it.

Mika's eyes closed tightly, and she clenched her teeth. Though the descent was smooth, it was fast, making her feel slightly dizzy. How Deidara could keep his balance was beyond her understanding. Not that she could think of much at the moment besides getting back on the ground.

Almost before the bird touched down, Deidara jumped off of it and stood in front of the cave.

Mika was somewhat slower getting to the ground. Her legs felt like rubber, and as soon as she hit solid ground, she crumpled into an undignified heap.

Deidara turned to look at her, and at first she thought he was going to laugh at her. But, to her surprise, he walked over and wrapped one hand around her elbow, pulling her to her feet. He kept his hold on her as she swayed unsteadily for a moment, then caught her balance.

"Thank you," she said quietly, taken off-guard by his actions. Deidara removed his hand and nodded once, silently.

He turned to look at the bird, forming a hand seal as he did so. The bird vanished with a muffled explosion and a swirl of smoke. Deidara didn't bother going to retrieve it; they would use it for the ride back to the base.

Going to the mouth of the cave, he turned to look at Mika. "Ready, un?" he asked.

She nodded once, and they stepped into the gloom of the cave.

---

A/N: Is Deidara a virgin? He's only 19, after all. My guess is leaning towards no, but . . . there's no solid proof one way or the other. I haven't decided whether I'm going to make him one or not, but I'd better hurry up; things are going to be heating up very soon. Also, the next chapter update will take a while, as I'm going to be working on a Naruto/Sakura oneshot that's been buzzing around in my head for a few days.


	5. Testing the Waters

A/N: Sorry it took for long for an update, inspiration struck me for a new story, and I had to write it out. Anyway, now I'm back to this one.

---

The gloom of the cave lasted only a moment. All that was left of it was a rocky arch. The rest had caved in from the intense battle that had taken place.

Deidara looked around, his eye narrowed. There were dried blood splatters everywhere, and he could see bits and pieces of smashed puppets. Some of them he recognized as Sasori's, but many, from what he could tell, where unfamiliar. His gaze stopped on the left wall. He walked forward slowly.

"Master Sasori . . ." he said quietly. Mika looked over at him in surprise.

She followed his gaze to see a figure cloaked in brown between what looked like a man and a woman. But something was wrong. Taking a couple of steps closer, she saw what was so strange. The three figures were puppets. The one in the middle was a young man. Short red hair peeked out from beneath the cloak-like piece of fabric he wore. This was Sasori? His appearance fit with the description of him she had been given in the village, but . . . He had left Sunagakure twenty years ago. This puppet looked no older than fifteen. And then there was the fact that he was a puppet. Sasori had been human.

"That's Sasori? But how-?"

"He turned himself into a puppet, un. He didn't want to grow old. Being a puppet also helped him in battle," Deidara explained.

For a moment, Mika saw something almost like sadness flash across his face, but before she could get a better look, it disappeared.

Deidara walked towards Sasori, his face devoid of any emotion. He looked at the swords thrust through Sasori's body. Quickly, he took the ring from Sasori's thumb, then turned back to Mika. He handed it to her. "Hold on to this, un. There's something I have to do."

Mika looked down at it. Inscribed into the circle was the character for 'jewel'. Looking back up again, she watched as Deidara walked around the perimeter of the cave. He was placing a lump of clay every few feet. She vaguely noticed they were shaped like scorpions.

"What are you doing?" she asked as he placed the last pieces of clay down and came back to her.

"Setting up a grave, un," he replied. "Let's go." He went back outside and formed a seal, making the bird expand once more. He jumped onto its back, Mika right behind him. Almost immediately, the bird rose several hundred feet into the air, making the bottom of Mika's stomach drop out.

Deidara formed one more seal and held it, looking down at the destroyed cave. "It's the least I can do for Master Sasori. This way, no one will disturb him. _Katsu_!"

The explosion sent a shockwave through the air, making the bird tremble beneath them. Rocks crushed to pieces by the blast rained down, disappearing into a cloud of dust. When the cloud settled, there was no trace of Sasori or the cave. There was only a crater left, filled with rubble.

Deidara looked over at her. "Do you have the ring?" Mika held it out to him, but instead of taking it, he shook his head. "Hold on to it. If Pein doesn't want it, it'll be yours, un."

Mika looked down at it, then slipped it into the pouch at her waist. She sat back, propping herself up with her hands. "So what do we do now?" she asked.

"Go back to the base and wait for a new mission. It won't take long; we have to find and capture the Tailed Beasts as soon as we can, un." He sat down, propping his arm up on one bent knee.

"That was easier than I thought it would be," Mika said, half to herself. I wonder why they didn't take Sasori back to the village. He's a missing-nin, and one with unusual qualities. You would think the medics would want to study him."

Deidara shrugged one shoulder. "It's a good thing they didn't take him back. Pein said we had to get that ring, even if it meant a second invasion, un."

Mika glanced over at him. "But you were badly injured in the first one. Can you handle a second?"

A wicked grin spread across his face. "I wouldn't be fighting them this time. We'd use two teams. I'd let Hidan and Kakuzu handle the opposition, while I went for the ring. Those two are the most efficient team in Akatsuki, un."

"How so?"

Deidara looked over at her, and she could see dark amusement in his eye. "Hidan is immortal, and Kakuzu can be fatally wounded up to four times and not have to worry about dying, un."

Mika's eyes widened. "Immortal? But that's . . . impossible. There's no such thing as immortality."

"There's at least one way to gain it, and Hidan found it. Of course, it involves human sacrifices, but that's a small price to pay for never dying, don't you think?"

A lump formed in her throat. So that was the secret to immortality. The spilling of innocent blood. That knowledge made her stomach turn. As a ninja, she was accustomed to taking the lives of others, but only her enemies. Never an innocent. The very thought of killing in cold blood made her feel sick.

The members of Akatsuki really _were_ criminals. What had she been dragged into?

---

Mika jumped to the ground outside of the base, managing to keep her footing this time. She looked over at Deidara, who had shrank the bird back down and returned it to the pouch at his waist.

He opened the door of the base and went inside. Mika followed slowly, letting her eyes become adjusted to the dim light. Suddenly, her neck began t prickle. _Someone was watching her_. Looking around, she met a red-violet gaze. It belonged to a young man with short silver hair that was slicked back. Her eyes rested on the necklace he wore: a circumscribed triangle within a circle.

Sitting two chairs down from him was someone else. She couldn't tell much about him; his face was mainly obscured by a black mask. His eyes, however, were chilling. The irises were a florescent green, and around the iris, instead of white, they were dark red.

Deidara went over to the table and took a seat across from the one that was still watching Mika.

"Who the hell is she?" His gaze flickered over her headband, then her cloak. "We have a new member, huh?"

"Yes. She's taking Master Sasori's place as my partner, un." He looked back at her. "Mika, come over here and meet Hidan and Kakuzu, un."

Mika's back stiffened as she looked at Hidan. This was the immortal? Slowly, she walked over to the table and sat down beside Deidara.

"Five days since Sasori was killed and you've already found a replacement. You sure move damn fast." Hidan leaned back in his chair and propped his feet up on the table.

Deidara looked up at him, brief irritation flaring in his gaze. "We can't afford to lose any more members at this point. Everyone is needed now that we're capturing the Tailed Beasts, un."

"And what makes you think she'll be good enough to be a member?" This deep voice came from Kakuzu. Mika looked over at him, silent. Something about him told her to keep her mouth shut.

"She's a medic. No one else knows how to heal, and we're going to be entering dangerous times. We'll need her, un," Deidara responded, crossing his arms.

Mika leaned forward and put her head on the table. A moment later, she heard Deidara stand up.

"Come on, let's go put the ring up, un," he said to her. Raising her head, she looked at him for a moment, then got up to follow him back to his hall.

Mika looked back towards the anteroom. Those two gave her the chills. Being immortal, it was just . . . unnatural.

Deidara opened the door and stepped aside, letting her enter first. Following behind her, he closed the door, then locked it.

She froze when she heard the lock click. Turning, she narrowed her eyes at him. "What are you doing?"

Going over to the bed, he unsnapped the buttons on his cloak, then took it off. "Just making sure we won't be disturbed, un."

"What should I do with the ring?" she asked, her mouth going dry at his words.

"Hold on to it. That was just an excuse to get out of there. Given a few more minutes, Hidan would have said something you wouldn't have liked. He's never been one for subtlety, un." Deidara stepped closer to her, then reached out with one hand to unbutton her cloak. Once that was done, he took her chin in one hand. Leaning forward, he kissed her.

This kiss was different from the first one. Before, it had lasted only a moment; he had been testing her, seeing if she would let him get away with it. But now, he wanted to go farther; see exactly how far he could go. He would bind her to him; that way, he wouldn't have to worry about her betraying them. She wouldn't give away someone she was tied to.

Without breaking the kiss, he took his hand from her chin and pushed the cloak from her shoulders.

Mika's heart was racing. Why was he doing this? What should she do? Her body was beginning to heat up, and she felt her will to resist begin to slip away. Why was he having this effect on her.

Finally, Deidara pulled away, but instead of stepping completely back, he pulled her shirt off of her left shoulder, exposing the skin beneath. His left arm went around her, pulling her flush against him. He smiled when he felt how fast her heart was beating.

Leaning forward again, he latched on to the juncture of her neck and shoulder, sucking lightly on it.

Mika's eyes closed at this feeling. She felt his teeth scrape lightly across her skin, and a shiver ran up her back. _That felt wonderful_. Her head tilted to the side to give him better access.

Deidara pulled away for a moment. "You like that, un?" It was more of a statement than a question, and Mika gave a quiet sigh in response. He kissed her again, tracing her bottom lip with his tongue, demanding entrance.

After a moment's hesitation, she opened her mouth for him, and he slipped inside, exploring slowly. His bangs tickled her face, and she reached up to brush them to the side.

Carefully, his right hand crept underneath her shirt, and he pushed up the mesh undershirt she wore. He ran a finger down her spine, making a wave of goosebumps rise on her skin. His hand rose higher on her back, and he came in contact with bindings. Stroking a path back down her spine, he broke the kiss and removed his hand from under her shirt. Backing up, he led her over to the bed and sat down on it, pulling her into his lap.

Mika was trembling slightly; he could feel it. But was the shaking because she was scared, or because of his touch?

"Do you want to keep going?" he whispered in her ear.

She was silent for a moment. "Yes, but . . ."

"But what, un?" He leaned forward and began to nibble on her neck, eliciting a soft moan from her.

"I've never . . . been with anyone before. At least not all the way," she said, almost inaudibly. She had gone as far as it was possible to go, but had never lost her virginity. Even then, it had only been once. Curiosity was getting the best of her; she wanted to know what it would be like with him, but she was nervous.

Deidara pulled away, looking at her with an expression close to surprise. "You're a virgin, un?" She nodded once. Well, this was unexpected. This would be better than he thought. If he was her first, and he did it correctly, they would form a very strong bond.

He thought for a second, considering his options. Though it would set things back a little, in the end, it would work to his advantage. But he would have to take things slowly, at her pace. If he pushed her too fast, it would shatter any chance he had of forming that bond with her. Still, that wasn't a problem. He would enjoy breaking her down. Soon, she would be begging him to take her.

"I'll tell you what. We'll keep going, but only as far as you're comfortable with. Tell me to stop, and I will, un," he said, brushing a stray lock of hair out of her face; a gesture she found oddly sweet.

She nodded. "Okay."

Wrapping his arm around her back, he moved farther back on the bed, coming to a stop with his back resting against the wall, and his legs stretched out in front of him. Adjusting his hold on her, he put one of her legs on either side of his hips so that she was straddling him.

This position gave him easy access to her neck; if her shirt wasn't in the way. He tugged on the material experimentally. It was loose; he would be able to work around it. But the mesh shirt would have to go. It was too tight. Pulling her overshirt to the side, he traced the neckline of the mesh shirt.

"This needs to come off. It's in the way, un," he told her.

She considered this for a moment, then pulled her arms into the sleeves of her overshirt. With some difficulty, she managed to pull the mesh shirt off without removing the overshirt.

Deidara clenched his teeth. In taking off the shirt, she had been moving her lower body as well, and it was causing friction between them. The feeling was causing his heartbeat to speed up, and a thrill went through his body.

Mika froze as she settled back down into his lap. She couldn't help but smirk as she felt him press against her inner thighs. So he liked that, did he? Feeling more bold, she leaned forward, resting her left hand on his chest and her right hand on the wall. She kissed him gently, holding it for only an instant, then breaking away and trailing down his neck. Now it was her turn to make him squirm. She nudged at his neck, making him tilt his head to the side. Finding his pulse point, she began to suck on it gently, tracing patterns on his skin with her tongue.

Deidara's hands came up to rest on her waist, and he sighed. She was actually pretty good at that. His grip tightened as she pushed her hips against him, and he inhaled sharply. What had gotten into her? He figured she would be shy, but no. A wicked grin spread across his face. This was going to be fun. Though, if she didn't stop, he wouldn't be able to control himself. His blood was beginning to boil. He had to stop her; get back in control.

Pushing her backwards slightly, he smirked at her. "My turn, un," he said. He wrapped his arms firmly around her and placed a single kiss on the hollow of her throat. He trailed down, alternately licking and kissing her skin until he came to the top of her bindings.

Mika tilted her head back, closing her eyes and humming quietly in appreciation.

His right hand left her back and trailed slowly up her ribcage. Cautiously, he moved his hand towards her left breast; unsure if she would let him actually touch her. He moved his mouth back to her throat, sucking on the sensitive skin. To his surprise, she let his hand cover her breast and squeeze gently.

She gasped at the feeling, the fingers of one hand digging into his shoulder.

After a moment, he leaned to the side, shifting Mika from his lap to the bed. The pressure she was putting on him was driving him crazy.

Kneeling over her, he put one knee between her legs, and the other on the other side of her thigh. Now that he had her pinned beneath him, he could continue the exploration of her body. She thought she could toy with him, did she? He would show her that she was wrong. _He_ was the one in control here, not her. She had to learn to play by his rules.

Deidara's right hand rested on her stomach, and he leaned down to nibble on her neck.

Mika's arms went around his shoulders, holding him to her. She found that having her neck kissed was something she enjoyed immensely. Her eyes closed as his hand crept up her body to squeeze her breast once more.

"Why are you doing this?" she whispered breathlessly. She had to know what his purpose was.

He raised his head, his hand going back down to her stomach. "You don't like it?"

She shook her head. "I never said that. I just want to know why." One of her hands slipped from his shoulder and rested over his own hand, assuring him that she wasn't upset, merely curious. Watching him through half-closed eyes, she waited for his answer.

He smirked a little. "I just want to show you that being in Akatsuki has its rewards, un." He silenced any reply she was going to make by kissing her. It was rough, but not at all unpleasant.

Mika froze as she felt his hand begin to trail down towards the apex of her thighs. _No. Not yet._

She cried out as his fingers ghosted over her clothed center; breaking the kiss and bringing her hands up to push him away.

He quickly removed his hand from her body, breaking off all contact with her. It seemed he had gone just a little too far. He sat back.

She slid off the bed, going over to the door and leaning against it. "I'm sorry, I . . . I'm just nervous."

Deidara watched her calmly. "It's okay, we can take this slow, un." '_That way, I can play with you longer'._

She sighed deeply. "Is there a shower or something I can use? I just . . . need to be alone for a while; think things over."

He nodded. "Across the hall, two doors down, un."

"Thank you." Unlocking the door, she stepped out into the corridor. Maybe a relaxing shower would help her figure out why she was feeling this way.


	6. A New Objective

Mika opened the door to the shower room and stepped inside. Locking the door behind her - though it would do little good; Deidara had a key-, she undressed and made her way over to the far side of the room, where the shower was. The other half of the room was bare, save for a rack of towels set into one wall.

Pulling the curtain closed, she turned on the water and stepped under the flow. She sighed as the hot water ran over her tense muscles. After a moment, she began to relax.

Unbidden, her mind returned to what had just happened, and her face began to heat up. Deidara . . . His touch had set her blood on fire. She shook her head, then sat down, letting the water pour over her. Her body had reacted to Deidara the way it never had to anyone else. Not even to _him_.

A few months before, she had had a lover; a fellow Jounin named Seiji. They met after he had been severely wounded in a mission, and she was assigned to treat him. Seiji had been released from the hospital after a week, but he and Mika continued to see each other. Before long, a real relationship had developed, and they became lovers.

But as time went by, they were kept apart more and more. They were on separate teams, and missions were becoming more frequent. Slowly, they began to drift apart, and she called it off.

She had still seen him occasionally, but they were little more than strangers once more.

Then came the Akatsuki invasion. Countless ninja were injured or killed, and the Kazekage was kidnapped. Several Konohagakure ninja come to help get him back, and Elder Chiyo went with them.

A day later, they had come back. The Kazekage seemed unharmed, but Elder Chiyo was dead. They had said that she had been killed getting the Kazekage back, but Deidara had told Mika the truth.

The morning they returned, Mika had been excused from hospital duty to go restore the medicinal herb supply. Shortly after that, Deidara had captured her.

When he had told her that she was going to be his partner, she had recoiled at the idea. But still, she had marked through her headband quite easily, and it wasn't just the threat to her life that made her do it. The truth was, given the chance, she would have left her village sooner.

She had told Deidara that she was loyal, but she had always hated being under someone else's command. Of course, being in Akatsuki, she was still following orders, but she had more freedom. Here, it didn't matter how missions were carried out, as long as they were completed.

That fact was one thing that compelled her to stay.

Standing up, she shut off the water and went to retrieve a towel. After drying herself off, she redressed, frowning when she realized that she had left her mesh shirt in Deidara's room. She would have to go and get it, even though that meant facing him again. Her heart began to pound when she thought of that.

Suddenly, she slammed her fist against the wall. Damn it! He was a _criminal_, not someone she should be attracted to! But still . . . she could still feel phantom kisses on her neck and shoulder, and a shiver ran through her. Resting her arm against the wall, she leaned her head on it, closing her eyes. What was she going to do?

Her head raised as she realized she could sense a chakra signature just outside the door. It was familiar; Deidara. What did he want? And why was he just standing outside? He had a key; all he had to do was unlock the door and come in.

Unlocking and opening the door carefully, she peered outside. There he was; leaning against the wall, her mesh shirt in one hand.

"You forgot this, un," he said, offering it to her.

Stepping out into the hall, Mika stood a few feet away from him. She studied him carefully for a moment, then took the shirt.

"Thank you," she said quietly, holding the shirt to her, covering her chest. Walking around him, she began to return to his room. Upon opening the door, she saw two plates of food sitting on the table.

"I thought you might be hungry, un," Deidara said, following her into the room and closing the door.

She looked back at him. "Could you turn around for a minute?" she asked.

He raised one eyebrow. "What for?"

"_Turn around_," she repeated, more firmly. After a moment in which she thought he was going to refuse, he finally did turn his back. Quickly, Mika took off her overshirt and put the mesh one on, then replaced the aqua-colored shirt over it. "Okay, you can turn back around now."

Deidara turned, a smirk crossing his face. "So you're not comfortable changing in front of others, un," he said.

Mika narrowed her eyes at him, but instead of anger, all that was reflected in her gaze was friendly annoyance. "Oh, be quiet." She made her way over to the table and sat down.

So she still felt comfortable enough around him to joke around, huh? That was a good thing. It meant he wouldn't have to try and build up her trust from scratch. Of course, he wasn't naïve enough to think that she was anywhere near trusting him completely - that was still a long way off -, but it also meant that he hadn't gone so far as to completely shatter what trust she did have in him.

He could work with that; he would just have to keep building it up little by little, until he was able to reach his ultimate goal. She had actually let him go a lot farther than he thought she would. It seemed she wasn't _completely _new to this. That would shorten the time he would have to take to break her down. If she were totally untouched it might take weeks; even months if she were shy. But now, he could probably do it within a few days, if he played his cards right.

He sat down across from her at the table, and began to eat. After a moment, Mika did the same. She hadn't realized how hungry she was until she took the first bite.

Deidara watched her carefully as they ate. Finally, he broke the silence. "Zetsu should be coming soon, to take a report of our mission back to Pein. He'll probably give us another mission while he's here, un."

Mika swallowed her bite of food. "What kind of mission do you do, anyway?"

"The obvious: scouting the locations of the Tailed Beasts. They're harder to track down than you'd think, un," he told her. "But we also do routine missions; reconnaissance of the villages. Those of us in the inner circle - the nine of us - don't actually enter the villages, though. We have agents in every village who report back to us, un."

She nodded. "I guess after your invasion the other day, everyone knows about you. As for the spies, it's perfect. No one knew about Yura until the damage was already done." She leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. "How many spies are in Sunagakure?"

"Just one, now that Yura was killed, un."

Mika's back stiffened. "There's another one? Who?"

Deidara looked up at her, his gaze calculating. She was still worried about her village? "I don't know his name. Pein was the one who dispatched him. The only ones I know are the ones in my own village. We keep tabs on those from our home villages. Master Sasori would have known him, but I don't, un."

"Then who keeps up with the spies from other villages? The ones that don't have a representative in the inner circle?"

"Pein does, un."

"One person keeps track of all-?"

Deidara cut her off. "Not one. Six, un."

This made her pause. "_Six_? If there are only nine members in the inner circle, then how can there be six? And Pein is only one person."

He shook his head. "Pein has six different bodies, each one with different abilities. They're known as "the Six Paths of Pein". He has a kekkei genkai similar to Itachi's; one that manifests itself through the eyes; a doujutsu. It's called the Rinnegan. It allows Pein to harness all five chakra types. He can also see whatever the other five paths see, un."

"He sounds powerful," Mika said thoughtfully.

"With access to all five chakra types, and the most powerful doujutsu at his disposal, I'm sure he is. His partner, Konan, is the only one who's ever seen him fight, so I don't know how formidable of an opponent he is. But if he founded Akatsuki, he has to be fairly strong, un," Deidara told her, pushing his empty plate away.

"So where is Pein? I've met everyone except him and his partner," Mika said, finishing up her own meal.

"He stays in Amegakure, with Konan and Zetsu, who relays our missions, un."

"Will I ever get to meet him?" She stood up and went over to the bed, stretching out on it, her hands behind her head.

Deidara turned to watch her. "I doubt it. The only way we ever get to see him is if we go to Amegakure, or when we seal a Tailed Beast. Even during a sealing, it's a projection of him, not his real body, un." Rising out of his chair, he followed her and sat down beside her, being careful not to sit too close.

"Why did you stay here? And I know it wasn't just because you didn't want to die, un." He leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms and waiting for her reply.

"Despite what you may think, I _am_ loyal to my village. I left because I wanted freedom. When I was still there, I had to do whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted. I can't handle that. I want independence. Here, I have that. True, I may still have to go on missions, but . . . in between them, and even during them, I'm free."

Deidara nodded once. "Freedom is something most ninja aren't allowed to have. I can understand wanting more of it, un."

"But, even though I'm not part of Sunagakure anymore, I don't want anything to happen to those I care about. I need to know who that spy is," she told him. "That's the whole point of him being there, right? So we'll know what's going on there without putting our lives in danger."

"You'll find out soon enough. Now that Master Sasori is dead, that spy will be your responsibility, un."

There was a knock on the door, and Deidara slid off the bed, crossing the room. Upon opening the door, he found Hidan standing outside.

"Come to the anteroom. Zetsu is here," he said, then turned to leave, not giving Deidara a chance to respond.

"I guess it's time for our next mission, un." Deidara came back to the bed and grabbed his cloak, putting it on.

Mika stood up, retrieving her own cloak. She went over to him, buttoning up the cloak as she went.

Closing the door behind them, Deidara led the way into the anteroom.

Hidan and Kakuzu were already seated on one side of the table. Zetsu sat in the first chair on the other side. But someone else was there, too. At the head of the table was . . .

"Pein," Deidara said quietly. "That's the projection I was telling you about earlier, un," he whispered to Mika.

The shadowy figure stood up from the table, and Mika got a good look at him. It was almost impossible to tell anything about him, though; all she could tell from his silhouette was that he had shirt spiky hair, and his eyes . . . This was the Rinnegan? His eyes were composed of dark rings, with the irises a mix of light purple and silver.

"So this is the one you chose to replace Sasori?" Pein asked. His voice was distorted from the projection, though calm. He glanced at her headband. "You already converted her. What was offered in return for her loyalty?"

Deidara was about to respond, but Mika cut him off. "I wasn't offered anything. I joined because I wanted to."

From behind Pein, Hidan gave a short bark of laughter. "Like hell. He kidnapped you. There's no way you would just decide to join us. Why did you do it?"

Mika turned her head slightly to look at him. "There are no rules here. I like living the way I want to, not how someone else thinks I should. You can understand that, can't you?" Her voice was icy as she spoke, which made the immortal smirk.

"Well, at least you have a damn strong will. We'll see how long you last, though. I don't think you have what it takes. You were dragged into this unwillingly. To be a member, you have to be able to fucking kill those that stand in your way. Can you do that?" He was baiting her; seeing how far he could push her before she snapped.

She took a step towards him, but was stopped by Deidara's hand closing around her wrist.

"That's enough, Hidan," Pein said. "We'll get a chance to see if she'll betray us or not." He turned his attention back to Mika. "You retrieved the ring, I trust?"

Mika pulled her wrist out of Deidara's grasp and reached into the pouch at her waist, pulling out the ring.

"You will wear it on your left thumb. You are now our representative from Sunagakure." He looked back at Zetsu. "I have to go now. Be sure to give them their missions." With an electric crackle, the projection flickered and vanished.

Mika looked down at the ring in her hand, then put it on. It seemed Pein had accepted her as an official member.

"Hidan and Kakuzu, you will go to the villages in the cast. Itachi and Kisame are already in the south." Zetsu stood up and turned to look at Deidara and Mika. "You will look in the west. If you find any clues to the whereabouts of the Tailed Beasts, report back to Pein through a projection. Only the One-Tail has been sealed so far. Now we need to focus on the Two-Tail. If you find its Jinchuuriki, or the Beast itself if it doesn't have a host, bring it to the nearest base, and summon us. If you find any other Beast, pinpoint its location, but do not go after it."

Behind him, Mika noticed Hidan was nodding at Zetsu's words. It seemed he had heard this before. Zetsu was probably only repeating the details for Mika's benefit.

But still, something was bothering her. _West_. That meant they would be coming close to Sunagakure. It was going to be a test, to see if she would betray them.

Hidan looked up at her, dark satisfaction dancing in his red-violet eyes. He knew she didn't like him, and he was having fun tormenting her. He knew that Pein would make her and Deidara search in the west; and he only wished he could be there to watch her struggle against her instincts to return to her home. This girl was interesting; she had a fiery temper, just like him. If he could just get her to overlook the killing, the could probably be friends.

"Do you understand?" Zetsu's black half asked, looking at Mika, who nodded once. "Good luck." These words came from the white half, just before the leaves closed and he sank into the floor.

Deidara sighed. "Well, this should be fun. I wonder how long we'll have to look before one of us finds something, un." Zetsu hadn't given them a time limit, which meant they would have to search until they produced results. They also had a broad area to cover, which would take weeks to scour thoroughly, even with spies in the villages.

Mika's brow furrowed as she realized that she hadn't even gotten the chance to ask Zetsu about the Sunagakure spy. How would she find him now?

"We'd better get going. Once we have our missions, Pein expects us to carry them out immediately, un," Deidara said, making his way over to the door.

"You'd think he would let us have at least one fucking day to rest, instead of sending us back out," Hidan said, standing up. From where it rested against the wall, he grabbed a weapon Mika hadn't seen before: a crimson triple-bladed scythe. He strapped it to his back, wielding it easily despite how heavy it must have been.

"We've had easy missions recently. This one is no different. There's no need to rest any longer than a few hours. Even then, it probably isn't necessary," Kakuzu spoke up as he got to his feet.

Hidan shot him a dark glare. "I may be immortal, but that doesn't mean I don't get tired. This is the first time we've been back in a damn month."

"Stop your childish whining; it's unbecoming of an Akatsuki member," Kakuzu warned, unfazed by Hidan's temper.

Hidan bristled. "Childish whining?" He took a step towards his partner. "Who the hell do you think you are, chiding me like some-"

"That's enough. We don't have time for your little catfights, un," Deidara interrupted, cutting off the rest of Hidan's retort. A fierce red-violet gaze was turned on him, but he ignored it.

Mika watched this exchange in silence. A smile threatened to cross her face, but she held it back. What she had just seen seemed exactly like the kind of fights that would be seen between siblings.

Just before he reached the door, Deidara stopped. He had forgotten to get some more of his clay. Turning abruptly, he walked back towards his hall. Mika watched him go, deciding to wait in the anteroom.

At the second door on the right, Deidra stopped and opened it. Inside was a table piled high with bags identical to the two he wore on either side of his waist. Taking off the empty bags, he replaced them with two new ones.

Coming back into the anteroom, he looked over at Mika. Hidan and Kakuzu had already left. "Let's go, un," he said, opening the door.

Mika followed him outside, watching as he molded a dragon out of some clay and expanded it. She sighed. Flying was going to take some getting used to.

---

A/N: I had to let Hidan and Kakuzu have their two-cent's worth. It was too good an opportunity to let pass. Their little spats are too fun not to write.


	7. A Night Together

Mika opened the door to her room and sighed. She and Deidara had been searching for any clues to the Tailed Beast for a week, and she was exhausted.

They only had a limited amount of money, so Deidara had insisted that they save it. For the past six nights, they had slept under stars, but that morning, it had begun to rain, and hadn't let up since. Mika had finally convinced him to find an inn; there was no way she was sleeping in a cave. The temperature had dropped with the arrival of the rain, and all she wanted to do was take a warm bath and go to sleep.

She looked around. The room wasn't as small as she had expected. It resembled Deidara's room back at the base: a bed in one corner, and a table in the middle of the room. Near the bed was a small table with a lamp on it. Other than that, the room was empty.

Unstrapping the bag from her hip, she put it on the bed, followed by her shuriken holster and headband. She unfolded the kimono the inn had provided her with, and put it at the foot of the bed. She would change into it after her bath.

Opening the door that led to the room where the bath was, she went inside and closed the door behind her. She undressed and wrung out her clothes before folding them up. They would have to be dried; water dripped from them, forming a puddle underneath the rack where she hung them up.

Mika shivered slightly as she made her way over to the tub. Turning on the taps, she adjusted the temperature, then sat on the rim as the water began to rise.

When it was full, she turned off the water, then lay down in it, closing her eyes as the warmth began to seep through her skin. After only a cold stream to bathe in all week, this was absolute heaven.

All too soon, though, the water began to cool off. Mika stood up, reaching for the towel that hung nearby. Drying off quickly, she wrapped it around her and opened the door.

The sight that greeted her made her freeze. Deidara lay on the bed, his hands folded behind his head and his eye closed. His cloak had been folded up and put on the table with hers, along with - and Mika blushed slightly at this - his shirt. Her eyes settled on his chest. Over his heart was . . . What _was_ that? There were red designs above and below what appeared to be a stitched up wound. Her eyes flickered from it back to his face.

"What are you doing in here?" she asked, clutching the towel to her tightly. She looked around. Her kimono was gone. What had he done with it?

"It's supposed to keep raining for a few days. If we're going to stay here, we'll have to stay in the same room. It's too expensive for more than one, un," he responded, cracking his eye open and looking at her. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and she was shivering a little from the cold air. A smirk crossed his face.

"You'll catch a cold if you don't get dressed, un." His eye opened further, watching her expression.

"I can't get dressed. My clothes seem to have grown legs and walked away," she said, raising one eyebrow. "You haven't seen them, have you?"

The smirk grew wider. "Come here for a minute, un."

She slowly walked forward, one hand moving to keep the towel closed as she moved.

Stopping beside the bed, she gazed down at Deidara. He sat up, crossing his legs and watching her. Without warning, he grabbed one of her wrists, making her gasp as she was pulled into his lap. He situated her so that her legs were thrown over his thigh; his right arm around her back.

Mika swallowed hard. What was he going to do? She shivered as he ran a single finger up her bare leg.

"What were you thinking, coming back in here wearing only a towel?" he whispered, leaning forward to brush his lips against her neck. She tilted her head to the side, closing her eyes.

"I had clothes I was going to put on while mine dried. But somehow, the kimono disappeared," she said, unable to keep a hitch out of her voice as he nipped at the sensitive skin just behind her jaw.

His left hand trailed off from her leg, reaching behind him to pull out a folded white garment.

Her eyes narrowed as she reached out and snatched the kimono away from him. "Why did you take it? I'm freezing in this towel." She crossed her arms, glaring darkly at him. The scowl turned into a surprised frown when she saw his eyes darken.

"I took it because I wanted to see what your reaction would be, un," he responded, his grip on her tightening. Once more, his left hand rested on her knee, then slowly trailed up her thigh, making goosebumps break out on her skin.

He was getting dangerously close to her center, and while she was nervous, she knew that it was something she wanted. If he continued, she wouldn't be able to tell him no.

Deidara hadn't attempted anything since that day at the base, but he had been thinking about it, waiting for the perfect time to make his move. And now, that time had come.

He captured her mouth in a heated kiss. Letting his hand wander up her leg, he felt her stiffen as he stroked the flesh of her inner thigh. He was careful not to go too high; not yet.

After a moment, he deepened the kiss, tracing her bottom lip with his tongue. She hesitated, but finally opened her mouth for him, letting him explore it.

Again, she took in his scent. He still smelled the same; though the scent of damp earth had been altered slightly; reflecting the scent of the rain that had soaked them both earlier.

Mika's heart began to pound as Deidara took his hand from her thigh, moving it up and over her stomach. He broke the kiss and shifted positions, laying her down on the bed and kneeling over her on his hands and knees.

He noticed that she was shivering, so slightly it seemed like nothing more than a vibration, and he had to wonder if it was because of the cold, or because of something else.

One of her hands came up to tug on a lock of his golden hair, curling it around one finger.

Leaning forward, he kissed her throat, sucking on the pulse point. Her head tilted backwards, and she hummed in appreciation as he trailed down to her collarbones.

One of his hands came up to stroke her breast through the thin fabric of the towel, then slipped inside. She jumped slightly in surprise as the mouth in his palm opened, the tongue trailing over her skin. Her fingers bit into his shoulders and she arched her back with a gasp, breaking the kiss.

He raised his head from her neck and removed his hand from under the towel. "I'm going to take this off now, un," he said, tugging at the top of the fabric.

Mika looked at him, then swallowed hard. Almost imperceptibly, she nodded.

Deidara untucked the edge of the towel and carefully pulled it off her. He smiled slightly as he saw her cross one arm across her chest, the other hand covering the apex of her thighs. A blush crept up into her face.

"Don't be embarrassed, un," he whispered, leaning forward to kiss her. He took the arm covering her chest and put it at her side.

His hand trailed down the center of her chest, and over her stomach. Lowering his head, he kissed her breastbone. Moving to the right, his mouth closed over the peak of her breast, his hand gently squeezing the other.

She hissed as she felt his teeth graze lightly over her flesh. Her eyes closed as she felt his hand trail down over her ribcage, down her side, and over her thigh.

Biting her lip, she fought against the urge to move away. Her nails dug into his shoulders and she gasped as his fingers ghosted over her center.

Mika buried her face against his neck as he slowly, carefully, slid one finger into her. Moving slowly, he picked up a smooth rhythm. After a moment, he added another finger. Pulling away from her so he could see her face, he watched her reaction carefully. His movements picked up speed, and she arched into him, gasping as he brushed against that spot hidden deep inside her.

"Have you ever done this before?" he whispered in her ear, leaning down to kiss her neck.

"Once," she managed to say. She could feel a tight coil of heat beginning to build in her lower belly, sending electric jolts through her body. Her breathing was shallow and erratic, but all she could concentrate on was the sensation of pleasure coursing through her blood.

Deidara added a third finger and heard her whimper quietly. He fully expected to hear her tell him to stop, but the only noise she made was a low sigh.

He moved, then; sitting down beside her and pulling her into his lap once more, but never withdrawing. Kissing the place where her neck connected to her shoulder, he began to suck on it, just hard enough to leave a faint mark.

His eyes narrowed as he felt her inner muscles begin to ripple around him.

Mika arched back, her mouth opening in a silent gasp. Deidara took advantage of this, locking his mouth over hers in a searing kiss. He felt her shudder as her peak washed over her, but he held the kiss, keeping her silent.

Once Mika had come down off her high, Deidara released her, laying her back down on the bed. "Do you want to keep going?" he asked, licking her essence off of his fingers.

Her crimson eyes opened and she looked over at him. Sitting up, she braced herself on her knees in front of him and reached out, bracing one hand on his shoulder, the other brushing his bangs aside and taking off his scope. Moving closer, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him.

After a moment, she pulled away, smiling. "Yes, I want to continue." Pushing him backwards onto the bed, she leaned to the side for a moment to put his scope on the table, then crawled over him, straddling his hips. She could feel him pressing against her center and she smirked.

Leaning forward, she nudged his chin up, then latched on to his neck, applying enough suction to leave a mark on his tanned skin, just as he had done with her.

He exhaled sharply as she bit down, leaving a light imprint of her teeth around the mark.

"Why did you bite me, un?" he asked, one arm going across her back.

"For hurting me earlier," she replied, raising up to look at him. His gaze was calm, but she noticed something lurking in the azure depths of his eyes, something that set her blood on fire.

"That was necessary. I don't want to hurt you, un," he said, his breath catching as she trailed down to nibble gently on his collarbones.

She left off her ministrations for a moment to reply. "It'll hurt anyway. There's no way around it."

Mika backed off of him, letting her hands trail down his chest and over his stomach. She smirked when she heard his breath catch in his throat as her hands came to rest on the top of his pants.

Agonizingly slowly, she unbuttoned them, pulling down the zipper. "Raise up," she told him. Deidara raised his hips, allowing her to pull the fabric off of him, leaving him clad only in black shorts.

He hissed as she ran one hand over him. Sitting up suddenly, he reversed their positions; him on top with her beneath him. Now was the time to form the bond; now, before his composure snapped. But the truth was, he was nervous too. Though he was only nineteen, he'd had his share of intimate encounters, but, like Mika, he'd never allowed himself to go all the way.

Being in Akatsuki, he didn't often come across women who were willing to share their bed with him. He hadn't minded much; no one had really interested him. Until now.

Leaning forward, Deidara kissed her, holding it only a moment before pulling away and undressing the rest of the way. Wrapping one arm around her back, he used his other hand to lift her hips, wrapping her legs around his waist.

"Ready, un?" he asked.

She reached up and pulled him forward. He removed his hand from her back, bracing himself, the other hand still resting on her thigh. "Yes."

In one swift motion, he thrust into her, breaking her barrier. A cry tore from her throat as a stinging sensation spread through her lower body. Biting her lip, her brow furrowed, and she took a deep breath.

Deidara held still, allowing her to get accustomed to him. He fought against the instinct that told him to move, wanting to make sure he didn't hurt her any more than was strictly necessary.

After a moment, he felt her relax around him. "I'm okay," she said quietly, reaching up to run her hand down his arm.

He began to move slowly, taking his hand from her hip and placing it on the bed beside her. She exhaled sharply, her fingers digging into the sheets.

He picked up speed, but was still careful. Leaning forward, he kissed her again. Tracing the seam of her lips with his tongue, he made her open her mouth to him. Slipping inside, he explored slowly.

One of her arms came up to rest across his shoulders, pulling him closer. With her other hand, she brushed his bangs out of his face, and he was startled at her gentleness.

Breaking the kiss, he trailed down to her neck, placing his mouth over the mark he had made earlier. It was almost too faint to be seen, so he began to suck on the flesh, darkening it. He wanted to make sure that it stayed for at least a few days, reminding her of what took place. Not that she's likely forget the night she lost her virginity. He decided not to tell her that he, too, had been a virgin.

A few minutes later, he pulled away from her neck as he felt the now-familiar clench of her inner walls.

Fire raced through Mika's blood as she climaxed. She exhaled harshly, her fingers biting into Deidara's shoulders.

The feeling of her peak caused Deidara to reach his own. He fell forward, catching himself on his elbows so he wouldn't crush her.

Mika's eyes opened as she felt him trembling against her. She looked up at him. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine, un," he responded, his voice hoarse and rough. Withdrawing, he rolled to the side and sat up. Before long, he gathered his discarded clothes, then got up and went into the bathroom.

Mika heard the shower turn on, and she smiled. Grabbing her own kimono, she followed him, closing the door behind her. Putting her kimono on an empty rack, she crossed the room, slipping behind the curtain and wrapping her arms around him.

"Don't mind sharing, do you?" she asked, kissing the back of his shoulder. She noticed he had taken his hair down; it was longer than she expected, coming halfway down his back. She stepped around him, stopping directly under the flow of water, right in front of him.

Deidara took her chin between his thumb and index finger, tilting her head up to look at him. An almost predatory smile crossed his face. "You really _are_ mine now, un," he said, using his other hand to run one finger over her collarbones.

"I could say the same about you," she responded, resting her hands on his chest. She tilted her head to the side as she heard a faint rumble of thunder. "A storm. I thought it was just supposed to be rain."

"You're not afraid of storms, are you?" he asked, raising one eyebrow at her.

"No. But if it's a storm, the rain will be much heavier. We'll never find any information on the Tailed Beasts if it's coming a flood," she told him, backing out from under the flow of water.

"Then we'll just have to wait until the storm is over, un."

Mika looked up at him, then nodded. "I guess we have no choice."

They finished their shower, then got out. By then, the storm had moved closer. Dressing in the white kimono, Mika went back into the bedroom, spreading her clothes out on the table to dry.

Deidara returned a moment later, redressed in his pants, his hair back up in its usual half-ponytail. Sitting down on the bed, he stretched out, returning to the position Mika first found him in.

Climbing into the bed beside him, she hesitated for a moment, then snuggled up next to him, her head pillowed on his chest, and one arm thrown over him.

Deidara opened his eyes for a second, looking down at her. It was the first time she had ever consciously curled up against him. After a moment, he put his arm around her, smiling slightly at what that meant.

She was tied to him now. Things had worked out exactly the way he hoped they would.

"Tomorrow, we'll go farther south, un," he said at last, breaking the silence.

A bolt of lightning lit up the night outside, also illuminating the shadowy room for a split second. Mika looked up at him. "South? But that's . . ." she trailed off, her brow furrowing. That was where Sunagakure was.

"We won't go completely to the village, just to the fringe of the desert, un," he assured her. To enter the Land of Wind was already tempting fate, but to go so far as to go into the vicinity of the village was almost certainly suicide; for Deidara at least, and by now, probably Mika as well.

They both knew that since the One-Tail had been in Sunagakure, it was highly unlikely - probably even close to impossible- that another Tailed Beast would be nearby, but they couldn't go against Pein's orders.

Mika lapsed into silence, her head resting once more on Deidara's chest. Tomorrow would be the day that sealed her fate, one way or the other. Either she would stay with him and become a true missing-nin, or betray Akatsuki and return to the village. The question was, which one would she choose?

With this thought still resonating in her mind, she fell into a fitful sleep.


	8. Author's Notes

A/N: The rewritten version of Shadows of Darkness is going to be posted. The updates after the ninth chapter will probably be slow and erratic, as I'm still in the process of working on my original fiction, but don't give up on me!


	9. Chapter 1 Rewritten: Taken

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any related characters, nor do I make any money from the writing of this story.

A/N: I'm going to be tweaking the canon just a little bit, for the sake of the story. In here, the fight between Kakashi and Deidara never took place, and he still has both of his arms.

Anyway, thank you for reading, and for hanging in there with me for so long. You guys are wonderful!

I wasn't actually planning on posting this until my original fiction was done, but I couldn't help myself. I have quite a bit of this written, so maybe by the time the last chapter I have is posted, I'll be working on it again. I hope you enjoy the rewritten version!

* * *

Deidara slumped against the wall of the cave, holding one hand against his crushed arm. Damn that Jinchuuriki of the sand... His left arm was now all but useless thanks to that brat! And Master Sasori… The blonde missing-nin clenched his teeth. Master Sasori had been killed.

At least his death hadn't been in vain. The others had managed to seal the One-Tail, though its host had been brought back to life. But that was of little consequence. They had what they wanted. The host didn't matter now. No, he had more important things to worry about.

Wincing, Deidara squeezed his arm gently, assessing the damage. The sleeve of his cloak had been ripped away, so he could clearly see what had been done. There were no visible injuries besides some shallow scrapes and bruises, but he could feel the splintered bones beneath the skin. At least none of them had pierced through. Yet. That was a small respite.

Still, he needed a medic. But where would he find one? None of the Akatsuki members knew how to heal, and the only hospitals were in the villages. He couldn't exactly walk right up to the front gates and demand to be treated. The thought of him pushing his way past the entrance guards and into the hospital of his home village of Iwagakure made him give a tight smile of amusement. No, what he needed was a medical ninja, one that could be close at hand at all times.

His single visible azure eye narrowed in thought. In his mind, he saw a glimpse of long, dark violet hair and crimson eyes; eyes that he thought possessed the hated Sharingan at first, until he'd gotten a closer look. The girl that bore those eyes was a Sunagakure ninja, there was no way she was related to Itachi. He had noticed her during his fight with the Jinchuuriki. She was just what he needed: a medical ninja.

Pulling himself stiffly to his feet, he stepped out of the cave and reached into the pouch at his waist with his uninjured hand. He pulled out a bit of clay and began to mold it. Tossing the completed figure into the air, he formed the seal needed to expand it. Thankfully, the seal could be formed with only one hand. The bird, now big enough to ride on, dropped to the ground and fluttered its wings once.

Gathering his waning strength, Deidara leapt up onto its back and settled himself. He was going to Amegakure, to talk to Pein.

* * *

Mika sighed as she stood up, drawing her arm across her forehead to wipe away the sheen of sweat that had appeared. She had been out collecting herbs all morning. The newly-returned Kazekage – or, more accurately, one of his attendants - had ordered all the medics to gather supplies, and she had been given the task of picking herbs. Though it was boring, it was better than staying in the village, surrounded by the hysterical family members of the ninja that had been wounded or killed in Akatsuki's invasion.

It was hard to believe that only two ninja could cause so much damage. Not only had they slaughtered many elite ninja, they'd also managed to kidnap the Kazekage, and kill Elder Chiyo.

She had seen only one of them; the blonde young man who had taken Kazekage-sama. The night of the attack, she had been in the mansion, treating one of the assistants. He had looked right at her, and in his uncovered eye, she had seen undisguised hatred at first, then simple indifference.

Why had he looked at her like that? She was certain that she'd never seen him before; he had no reason to display that much hostility towards someone he didn't even know. But then his expression had shifted. What had caused his sudden change in attitude? More importantly, why was she still thinking about him?

Shaking her head, she looked down at the handful of plants she carried. Even though she had been out all morning, she didn't have much to show for it. There were no forests nearby, so plants were elusive, medicinal herbs even more so. Normally, she and the village medics relied on the imported plants grown in the greenhouses, but their supplies were running low, forcing them to search elsewhere for what they needed. More seeds would arrive soon from their allies, but they would need time to grow, and that was time they didn't have. There were too many lives at stake.

Tucking a stray lock of hair behind one ear, she gazed up at the sky as a shadow passed overhead. At first, she assumed it was just a falcon, until she saw how big it was. From this distance, it was the size of a large falcon, but it was up way too high for the size to be appropriate. This thing was much larger, and the wrong shape, besides.

It only took her a moment to notice that it was circling her, coming closer with each pass it made. Mika dropped the herbs she was holding, and her mouth opened slightly in shock as she realized what it was. That bird was terribly familiar, as was the figure perched on its back: the Akatsuki member that had taken the Kazekage. Why was he still here?

She looked around, searching for something, _anything_, that would help her. To her disgust – and subsequent panic - she realized that she had wandered away from any boulders that might help to protect her.

Swallowing hard, she watched as he came closer and closer. What was he going to do?

* * *

Deidara had been flying over the desert just east of Sunagakure when something caught his attention. Zooming in with the scope over his left eye, he felt a wicked grin spread across his face. It was her. And she was alone. He leaned slightly to the side, and the bird began to descend in a lazy spiral.

Even though it took him out of his way, he hadn't been able to resist coming back, to see what chaos he and Sasori had planted in the village. He knew everyone would be on high alert, so he'd planned on keeping his distance, and watching from afar through his scope. What he _hadn't_ counted on was this major stroke of luck. Finally, things were beginning to look up. It was about time, in his opinion.

When he was still some distance above the ground, he reached into the bag at his waist and withdrew a small piece of clay. He reminded himself to be careful with how much clay he used; though he knew exactly how much he would need for the appropriate-sized figure, he would need to ration the rest of the clay – just in case he ran into any trouble, he didn't want to be caught empty-handed. In his current state, and without any clay, it would be a simple matter for someone to take him down. Quickly, he molded the clay into a small spider and dropped it over the edge of the bird, right near the girl.

He watched as she glanced curiously at it, but then disregarded it to gaze back up at him. That was strange… Did she not know what the little figure was capable of? Obviously not, or she would have been running in the opposite direction. Not that it would do her much good, of course. Now that he had her alone, he didn't intend to let her escape. With a slight smile, he formed the seal that would detonate the small bomb. It was small enough that it wouldn't injure her, but it would knock her unconscious.

Mika took a step back as she saw him make the seal. "What are you doing here?" she demanded, one hand reaching for the shuriken holster strapped to her leg. She cursed the fact that she hadn't insisted on an escort; most of the other ninja were cleaning up the remains of the destruction left in the wake of the attack, and combing the village for any traps that may have been left behind. The rest were patrolling the borders, keeping an eye out for any attacks from their enemies.

No one had expected Akatsuki to hang around after the attack; she'd thought, as a ninja, that she would be safe enough on her own, this close to the village. How stupid she had been.

"I wouldn't do that. You won't be quick enough. I can detonate this bomb with a single word. There's no way you'll be able to stop me in that time, un," Deidara warned, still holding the seal.

"All I have to do is get out of range," Mika snapped. "A bomb that small won't make much of an explosion. Now answer me. What are you doing here?"

"Just passing through, un," he said silkily. "Surely you don't intend to fight me alone. You may be Jounin-level, but you're still no match for me."

Mika's eyes narrowed. "How do you know my rank?" She didn't wear the flak jacket a lot of the others chose to wear, choosing instead more casual clothes: an aqua-colored shirt with elbow-length sleeves, and a short-sleeved mesh shirt beneath. Black shorts completed the outfit.

"Your leader wouldn't let you out of the village alone unless you were capable of defending yourself. But even a Jounin can't protect themselves against Akatsuki, un."

"You sure are arrogant," she said, putting one hand on her hip, the other still hovering over the pouch on her leg.

This caused him to smirk. "I just know I can win, un."

She watched him carefully. He had an odd speech pattern, she noted. Surprisingly, he didn't look more than a year or so older than she was, if that. "Are you going to attack me or not?"

Deidara lowered his hand slightly, and the bird dropped down a little lower. "I'm getting around to it. You won't be able to get out of range, no matter how fast you are. I've already locked on to your chakra. That insect will follow you until it explodes, un."

"So why haven't you detonated it yet? Why haven't you killed me?" It wasn't that she wanted to die; far from it, in fact. But she'd always known that dying young was a possibility. It was quite common, for a ninja. But she didn't want him to draw out her death. Explosions were quick enough… She eyed the tiny white spider warily. But, as she had originally thought, that thing didn't look big enough to kill her.

His smirk grew a little wider. "I never intended to kill you. You're far more useful to me alive. I'm taking you back with me."

"Like hell!" Mika spat, unsnapping the clasp on the holster and grabbing one of the shuriken inside. But even as she curled her hand around it, she knew he was right: she wouldn't be fast enough. Even her fastest ninjutsu wouldn't be able to stop him.

Once more, Deidara's hand came up to form the seal. Things seemed to move in slow motion as Mika drew the shuriken out of the pouch and threw it at him. At the same time, she heard him say the word to detonate the bomb. She felt a sharp pain in her arm as a flying rock cut it. There wasn't even time for her to try and run as the concussion wave from the explosion washed over her a heartbeat later. Darkness clouded her vision, and she dropped to the ground, unconscious.

Deidara leaned to the side, easily avoiding the shuriken she had thrown, then jumped off the bird as it settled to the ground. He made his way over to where Mika lay and looked down at her. She seemed to truly be unconscious… He noticed that her arm was bleeding slightly where the rock had cut her, but it was hardly more than a scratch. Other than that, she was unharmed.

Still, he came to a stop, nudging her gently with one foot. When she didn't respond, he bent down and gathered her under his good arm. Carrying her back to the bird, he jumped back up on it and settled her near him. He would have to make a slight detour to one of the bases before he went to talk to Pein.

* * *

Just short of the border of the Land of Wind, the bird came to a stop at the base of a cliff. Deidara leapt off and went to the wall of earth. Forming several seals, he placed his hand against the cliff face. For several seconds, nothing happened. But then, a low rumbling reached his ears. The wall in front of him cracked open, revealing a doorway large enough for him to walk through.

He returned to the bird and retrieved Mika. Carrying her into the large anteroom, he proceeded towards a long corridor at the far right. There were nine other halls to the left of his, each one belonging to one of the other Akatsuki members.

Coming to the second door on the right, he shouldered it open and went inside.

The room was bare, save for a set of shackles on one wall. With some difficulty, he fastened the chains to her wrists, leaving her kneeling on the floor with her arms shackled above her head. She would wake up soon, and he wanted to be here when she did. He wasn't sure if anyone else was here at the moment, but he knew that she would wake up angry and loud. Because of that, he would need to be here, to quiet her.

The chains he had fastened on her were designed to drain chakra, so Deidara wouldn't have to worry about her breaking free, if she awoke while he was gone. Unfortunately, the loss of chakra would also make it so he would have to wait a little longer to be healed; once she had calmed down and he could release her, but he could handle that. Besides, if he let her go while she was still at full strength, she would most definitely fight him, and with only one arm working, it would be difficult to control her.

Once he was sure that she was securely bound, he sat back, taking the opportunity to get a better look at his captive. Her hair wasn't as long as he first thought, barely past her shoulders. Despite living in Sunagakure, she wasn't very dark; her skin had only a small tan, and he could see a light dusting of freckles across her nose, so faint they could only be seen up close.

Standing up, Deidara crossed the floor, leaving the room and going back out into the hall, locking the door behind him. It would take him just under an hour to get to Amegakure. When it was all said and done, he could probably be back in three hours. Closing his eyes for a moment, he searched for the presence of anyone else. He knew the first three halls would be empty, as well as the fifth, which used to belong to Orochimaru, Sasori's partner before Deidara had joined. But, as he suspected, everyone else was gone.

In truth, he was a bit relieved to find the base empty. He wasn't quite ready to explain to the others what had happened. Not that he knew the details, but he thought he could piece together most of it. On top of that, he didn't want anyone else to learn of Mika; at least not until Pein had agreed to let her join. He knew that, if his leader ordered him to kill her, he would have no other choice. But it shouldn't be that hard to convince Pein to let her join.

Even if she had no other outstanding skills that set her apart from ordinary ninja, her knowledge as a medic made her valuable to them.

Making his way back outside, he formed the seal that would close the base once more, then jumped up onto the bird's back. Once he was settled, it took off, heading for Amegakure, where Pein's base was.

To his surprise, it wasn't raining in Amegakure. That was unusual; Pein must be in one of his rare good moods. That might make him a bit more agreeable. The sun was shining weakly through ragged silver clouds, making the village seem less gloomy. The bird took him to the center of the village, where a misshapen tower rose above the other buildings.

It always struck him how out of place the tower seemed. Not just because it was so much taller than the others, but because of its shape. It was made up of various pieces of unmatched metal, each one fitting onto the next without even a trace of order. Uncountable strange pipes – which he could think of no discernible use for – protruded from the sides, giving the tower its bulky appearance. At the top was a balcony that resembled nothing so much as a giant tongue.

Deidara jumped off onto the balcony, then released the jutsu on the bird, making it shrink back down. Catching it, he put it in the pouch at his waist. He turned to see Pein sitting on the top step that led into the building, watching him calmly. The young man was every bit as odd-looking as the tower. His short orange hair ended in raised spikes, and for a moment, Deidara was reminded of the Nine-Tails Jinchuuriki. His hair was much the same, though a different color.

That was where the similarities ended, however. Pein had strange eyes that seemed to look straight _through_ the blonde ninja, instead of at him. There were rings around the pupils, and the eye itself was an odd mixture of silver and pale lavender. Several piercings decorated his face, each one made of what looked like black metal. He wore a forehead protector with the Amegakure symbol, though like each of the other members of Akatsuki, the engraving bore a slash through it – proof of his defection from the village. It had always struck Deidara as odd that Pein and his partner would choose to still live in their birth village, though he supposed he could understand it, in this case. After all, who wouldn't want to live in a place where you were revered as a kind of deity, albeit a feared one?

"What is it you need? I wasn't expecting you to come. I already know about Sasori's death, and you should be resting," Pein said quietly, glancing at Deidara's injured arm.

"I want to talk to you about a new partner, un," Deidara said, sitting down on the opposite side of the steps.

Pein was silent for a moment. "It shouldn't be too difficult to find a new-"

Deidara cut him off. "I've already found someone. She's from Sunagakure; a medical ninja. We can use her. No one else knows how to heal. My left arm is useless, and will be for a long time, unless I get treatment. Akatsuki needs a medic, and I need a partner, un."

There was the faintest arch of a single eyebrow. "You've talked to her already? Where is she?"

"At the main base. I have her restrained right now, and she's unconscious. Once she calms down, I'll release her," Deidara answered.

"She's still part of her village, then." Pein narrowed his eyes slightly. "This could be problematic."

"Don't worry, she can't escape, and she was alone when I took her. Sunagakure is in turmoil since our attack. No one will notice that she's gone for a while." Deidara told him.

"Will she cooperate, though? It'll be difficult to work with a partner who is constantly fighting you," Pein said, crossing his arms and leaning back against the wall.

"With time, I'm sure I can bring her around, un." He grinned. And if he couldn't, there was one other method he could resort to.

This time, the arched eyebrow was more pronounced. "Let's hope so. If she can't be brought around, she'll have to be killed. We can't allow her to go back to her village."

Deidara stood up, holding his injured arm gently. "I know that. Don't worry about it. She'll be an asset to us, once she cools down a little."

Pein shook his head. "Let's hope it'll be that simple. We don't have time to train a new member to be loyal to us. There are other things that must be done. I would have preferred to choose a member I know can be trusted. I wasn't expecting you to take it into your own hands to find a new partner, especially not so soon after Sasori's death."

The blonde shrugged one shoulder. "I had no other choice. My arm needs to be healed as soon as possible, and this is the perfect solution. I saw my opportunity, and took it. Besides, if she turns against us, I can always kill her, once she takes care of my arm. Then you can replace her with whoever you want." Not that he intended to let this happen, of course. He would bring her around, one way or another. He turned and walked back down onto the balcony. "I have to go now. She'll be awake soon, and I'll have to be there to calm her, un."

Pein watched as Deidara reached into the bag at his waist and pulled out the bird. Tossing it into the air, he formed the hand seal that would expand it, and leapt off the balcony, onto its back.

As he headed back to the base, he thought back to the conversation. Pein had given in without a fight. What did that mean? He had never asked Pein for anything before; indeed, though he had been in Akatsuki for several years, it was rare for him to come in contact with the mysterious leader. More often than not, Pein sent Zetsu to relay his messages.

Laying down on his back, he stretched out, putting his good arm behind his head. His visible eye closed, and he sighed. Now that he had Pein's approval, he would need to keep his word; taming the spitting viper that was to become his partner.

But how to go about convincing her? He would need to sever her ties to her village; turn her into a loyal member of Akatsuki, or else he would never be able to let her out of his sight. If he did, she would escape, and every member of Akatsuki would be in danger.

They wouldn't be able to bribe her with money. What Deidara needed was to find something that would keep her with him of his own free will, but what? He knew that he could cool her temper easily enough, with a little help, though it wasn't a method he normally relied on. In this case, however, he could see no other option. If he wanted her to be agreeable enough to heal his arm, he would need to do it soon, before the bones were beyond repair.

He thought about it all the way back to the base, but by the time the bird landed, he had come up with no ideas. Sliding off the bird, he shrank it back down and returned it to the pouch.

Once he was inside, he headed straight for his hall. Before going to the room where he was keeping Mika, he stopped by his own room and retrieved a new cloak. Shedding the torn one, he replaced it with the new, identical cloak, and fastened it.

He turned and went back out into the hall, placing his hand on the door to the room where he'd left Mika. Slowly, he unlocked it and let it swing open.

There she was, still kneeling on the floor where he had left her. But one thing had changed. She was awake now, and she was extremely pissed off.


	10. Chapter 2 Rewritten: Meeting

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any related characters. No money is made from the writing of this story.

* * *

Mika awoke slowly, her eyes narrowing in confusion as she took in her surroundings. The first thing she noticed was that she felt very weak. She looked up and frowned. Her arms, cuffed at the wrists, were extended above her head by heavy chains. Tugging experimentally on the shackles, she realized why she felt so tired. Those chains were absorbing her chakra. Terrific.

Turning her attention away from the chains, she looked around. Where was she? Her vision was still a bit blurry, but she could see well enough to tell that she was in a large room with stone walls. Every few feet, torches flickered in iron brackets, casting dancing shadows on the floor, which she noticed was made of the same stone as the walls. It was chilly in here… Was she underground? It was impossible to tell. Across from her was a heavy iron door, which she had no doubt was locked, and possibly barred from the other side.

Her eyes closed, and she let her senses reach out, searching for the presence of anyone that might be nearby. Unfortunately, she only had enough chakra to make it to the door, where she was brought up short. Damn… Well, so much for that.

She shifted slightly, pulling her legs out from under her and crossing them. Blood began flowing through them again, making her wince as the tingling pain that accompanied restored circulation appeared. Where was the bastard that kidnapped her? When she got her hands on him, she was going to-

The lock on the door clicked, making her freeze. The sound was startlingly loud in the empty room. Her eyes darkened in anger as the door swung open, revealing the one that had taken her. Well, speak of the devil… He entered slowly, closing the door behind him and crossing the room. He knelt down on one knee several feet from her.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"So now you're going to be nice, huh?" Mika spat, raising one eyebrow. She noticed he had put on a new cloak, hiding his injured arm, though she could see that it still hung limply at his side. Her eyes widened as he leaned forward, studying her face closely. "W-what are you doing?"

"I thought so. You have the same eye color, but they're not the same as his, un." He leaned back again, propping his right arm on his thigh. "You never told me your name."

She gave a soft growl. "Mika," she responded, putting as much venom into her voice as she could muster. But after a moment, curiosity got the better of her. "What did you mean about my eye color?"

Deidara shot her a sideways glance. This was a bit of a surprise. He hadn't thought she would answer him so easily. Maybe this wouldn't be so hard after all…

"One of the other members has a kekkei genkai that he used to trick me into joining. When he uses it, his eyes turn red, just like yours are, un," he explained. "My name is Deidara," he added, almost as an afterthought.

Mika watched him carefully. "What did you bring me here for?" she questioned.

The missing-nin hesitated for a moment. How much could he safely tell her? Well, the villagers of Sunagakure already knew about Sasori's death. Or at least, the ninja did. He could answer this, he decided. "My partner, Master Sasori, was killed after we invaded your village. Akatsuki always work in teams of two. I need a new partner, and someone to heal my arm," he told her.

Her eyes widened. "Sasori? You mean...Sasori of the Red Sand?"

Deidara nodded. "You know of him?"

"Of course. He's a legend; the master of puppets. That's amazing that you were his partner," she said, more of the hostility draining from her voice. Everyone knew who Sasori was. Even though he had disappeared from the village twenty years previous, he was still well-known. Though she wouldn't have admitted it to anyone, she had always admired him. He had been a very young child when he'd first began developing his talents. Such skill was very rare.

Deidara watched her for a long time, then finally stood up and went back over to the door. He locked it, then came back to her.

Mika watched him, suddenly apprehensive. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm going to release you now. I need your help with something, un," he replied, reaching for the cuff on one of her wrists. As soon as it was off, Mika drew it in to her body, examining the marks where the metal had dug into her skin. The cuff had left raw red welts around her wrist, but they hadn't cut into her skin yet.

When he released the other one, she pulled back, and they regarded each other, both waiting for the other to make the first move. At last Mika glanced down at his arm.

"My guess is you want me to heal you." It wasn't a question. "I'll need you to take your cloak off. I don't have much chakra, but I'll do what I can."

Deidara arched one eyebrow. Something didn't seem right about this. She had agreed far too easily. Still, he stood up, unfastening his cloak and letting it fall to the ground.

Mika colored slightly as her eyes traveled over his clothes. He wore a blue sleeveless shirt, but it only came to the bottom of his ribcage. The rest of his stomach was covered by a mesh shirt, as was the top of his chest. But unlike the mesh shirt she wore, his was semi-transparent.

She swallowed convulsively as she felt her mouth go dry. Why was he causing this kind of reaction in her? Though she was still furious with him for kidnapping her, she couldn't help but notice the muscles that were faintly outlined beneath his shirt.

Shaking her head, she turned her attention back to the task at hand. His left arm was bruised, and she could see the odd angle at which he held it. It was most definitely broken, probably in more than one place. It was impossible to tell how extensive the damage was, though. For that, she would have to feel his arm…and therein lay her plan. As a medic, her chakra control was exquisite. All she had to do was send a sharp burst of the energy through his body. It would knock him unconscious, and she would be able to escape. It was perfect.

"This will hurt a bit," she warned. "But I need to see what's been done, so I'll know what I have to do to heal you." Reaching out, she placed one hand gently on either side of his arm. It didn't take her long before she felt the splintered ends of the bones – or what was left of them. Her eyes widened. The damage was far more extensive than she'd first thought. The radius and ulna had been completely shattered into at least a dozen separate fragments, each one dangerously close to piercing through the skin of his arm.

Despite herself, she was impressed by his pain tolerance; while he must have been in agony, he didn't give more than a soft hiss when she touched him. This needed to be healed quickly, before one of the bones slipped out of place and punctured the skin. If that happened, the wound would likely get infected, and… No. She had to remember her plan. She could use this against him. Truth be told, she might not even need to use her chakra. One good wrench, and the pain would likely knock him unconscious.

She hesitated for just a heartbeat too long. Just when she started to give his arm a sharp twist, she felt his hand close tightly around her wrist, squeezing in warning. She saw that his hand fit easily around it, with room to spare. Even though he was only a few inches taller than she was, his hands were noticeably bigger than hers. Deidara pushed her backwards, making her head crack against the stone wall.

"Nice try. Do you really think I would let you do something like that?" Releasing her wrist, he reached into one of the pouches he still wore at his waist, holding it there for several seconds. But oddly, when he withdrew it again, it was empty. "Now, let's try this again, un."

Kneeling down in front of her, he reached out, taking her chin in his hand and tilting her head back to look into her slightly-glazed eyes. "You know that my specialty is creating bombs. But you probably don't know that I can create bombs so small they can't be seen with the naked eye. Those bombs are now in the air; you're breathing them in as we speak. Now, unless you want to end up as nothing more than a bloodstain on the floor, you'll heal me, _properly_. Understand?"

It took a moment for his words to sink through the haze clouding her mind, but when it did, her eyes widened. Was he serious? Surely it wasn't possible for someone to create something that small. "I don't… I don't believe you!" she whispered, unable to completely keep the nervousness out of her gaze. She didn't _feel_ any different; it was impossible to tell whether he was telling the truth. What if it was just a bluff, to get her to agree to heal him?

A wicked smile appeared on Deidara's face. "I thought you'd say that." He hadn't missed the hint of fear that passed through her eyes. A seed of doubt had been planted in her mind; she wasn't entirely sure he was lying. But for her to call him out on it… That took guts. Bringing his uninjured hand up, he formed the seal that he used to detonate his creations. "Are you _sure_ you want to take that chance? It's true that a single bomb that small wouldn't be able to do much damage, but there are now thousands of them running through your bloodstream. If they all went off at once…" He trailed off, leaving her imagination to fill in the rest.

Mika was silent for several more seconds, thinking over her options. She could always go through with her original plan, on the off chance that he was lying. He had the key to unlock the door with him; it would be easy to find it, then lock _him_ in while she made her escape.

But then, if he was telling the truth… She wasn't ready to die yet, especially not a death so…messy. Besides, if she healed him, he might agree to deactivate the bombs within her, if they were there. Then she could look for another opportunity to escape.

Waiting patiently, Deidara finally heard the sound he was waiting for: Mika's sigh of resignation. His smile grew slightly. Excellent. She had given in.

Once more, Mika reached out, placing her hands on his shattered arm. "I don't have enough chakra to fully heal you, but I can make it so you can at least move your arm, though it'll be limited motion. You're very lucky that the bone fragments haven't shifted and broken through the skin."

A soft green glow surrounded her hands as she converted her chakra into healing energy. A series of quiet cracks reached their ears a moment later as the bones began shift beneath the skin, realigning.

Deidara clenched his teeth; having the bones healed hurt almost as much as having them broken in the first place. His first instinct was to jerk away, but a warning look from Mika kept him in place.

"Be still. This is hard enough without you wiggling around. One mistake and the bones won't set the way they should, and I'll have to re-break them so they'll heal correctly."

Only a couple of minutes later, her vision began to blur, and she shook her head. Her hands slipped from his arm and she looked up at him, breathing hard. "Try moving your arm now."

Cautiously, he raised his arm and rotated his wrist slowly. "It's stiff, but it works, un." Still, even so slight a movement sent a jagged lance of pain through him. "What did you do?"

"I don't have enough chakra to finish healing you right now. I was able to fuse the pieces of the bones back together, but the fracture lines are still there. Don't do anything with that arm until I can finish healing it, or all the work I've done will be reversed, and you'll be back where you started, if not in an even worse position. You should really have it in a sling, but I don't have anything that would work." She eyed his discarded cloak thoughtfully. A piece of that would do nicely… If he would let her use it, that is. Perhaps the torn one… But what had he done with it?

Deidara watched her carefully. She was pale, and a light sheen of sweat covered her face. He stood up and extended his right hand to her. "I'll make you a deal. If you behave yourself, I'll let you out of here. But if you don't, I'll be forced to kill you."

Mika sighed. "That's always how it is, huh? 'Be a good girl or lose your life'." She looked at his hand for a moment, then placed her own in it, letting him pull her up. Well, it was better than staying in here. It was cold, and the hard floor had made her legs sore. Besides, she wanted to get a good look at exactly where she was. "All right. I'll behave."

_For now._

He couldn't help himself. It was just too easy, and he wanted to see what kind of reaction she would have if he pushed her just a little bit. This was going to be fun… But he would have to start small, so he wouldn't scare her. A bit of nervousness was good, but if he went too far, she might refuse to finish healing his arm. Ah, well. They had plenty of time for him to explore the boundaries between them. For now, though…

Mika swallowed hard as she felt his thumb gently caress the back of her hand.

Deidara saw her reaction and smirked slightly. He could feel her heartbeat through his hold on her hand; it had sped up. _Was she attracted to him?_ He had been looking for a way to keep her here, and to gain her loyalty to Akatsuki. This might be exactly what he was searching for. If he could bind her to him somehow... Even if the attraction was only on a physical level, it might be enough.

His grip changed, his hand wrapping around her wrist. His hold wasn't painful, merely firm. It was loose enough to tell her that he meant her no harm, but not so much that she could easily pull away.

At this point, Mika couldn't tell if the weakness in her body was because of her lack of chakra, or something else. He was only a foot away now, and she could smell him. It was an odd scent; a mix between the way the earth smelled after a storm, and something sweet - an herb, maybe - though she couldn't identify it.

He noticed that she wouldn't look at him, focusing her gaze instead on the top of his shirt. If she looked him in the eye, she was afraid of what he would be able to see in her own eyes. Her heart leapt as she felt him lean forward, putting his mouth close to her ear.

"That's my girl. Good choice, agreeing to behave, un," he said, his voice soft.

Mika's eyes closed, her eyebrows knitting together as she tried to take her mind off of how close he was. A sudden warm wetness on her wrist made her inhale sharply and jerk back, eyes opening and watching Deidara with a mix of annoyance and curiosity. What was that? It felt almost like...

With some difficulty, Deidara held up his other hand, showing her his palm. In it was...

"What the hell…?" she muttered, staring at the mouth. It was closed at the moment, looking like nothing more than a thin line running across his hand. But she had seen it. It had _teeth_, even a tongue...which was what she had felt on her wrist a moment ago.

Deidara had dropped her hand when she had jerked away, and he watched as she brought it up in front of her and touched it gently with her other hand. He could tell she was unnerved. And who wouldn't be? He was used to the shocked reactions he received when those who didn't know him found out about his unique abilities. Watching the play of expressions across their faces always gave him an endless source of amusement, and Mika was no exception.

"I use them to mold my clay, un," he said, extending his hand so she could examine it.

Mika nodded once, but kept her distance, which made him chuckle. She looked around the room, trying to think of something that would take his attention away from her obvious discomfort. "Um, am I going to have to stay in here all day?" she asked. Her arms and legs were stiff from lack of motion, and her wrists were sore. She needed to get out and walk around.

Deidara regarded her for a moment, then stepped forward, reaching around behind her head to untie her forehead protector. He pulled it off, handing it to her. She took it, raising one eyebrow in confusion.

"I'll let you out of here on one condition. You have to show me that you won't try to go back to your village. Mark through the symbol."

She looked down at the forehead protector, tracing the hourglass-like symbol of Sunagakure gently. Biting her lip, she reached into the bag strapped to her waist and hesitantly withdrew a kunai. After taking a deep breath, she knelt down and placed the forehead protector on the floor. Slowly, she rested the tip of the kunai on one side of the metal.

If she was honest with herself, this was one of the hardest things she had ever done. If she marked through the symbol, she would be declaring herself a missing-nin. But if she didn't, she would never get out of here. On top of that, Deidara might decide to detonate the bombs that he had placed within her.

Her hand trembled, and the kunai slipped off the metal, but she hadn't been using enough pressure to leave a mark. He was asking too much. "I can't," she whispered, shaking her head. Despite the risks that she was taking by refusing, she just couldn't bring herself to do what he said.

Deidara shrugged, surprisingly calm. "That's too bad. I'm sure you must be getting hungry by now. I could have given you something to eat, but it seems that you'd rather stay here. Well, that's fine, too." He stretched, yawning widely. "But as for me, I'm going somewhere more comfortable. I'll just leave you in here to think over your choice."

He turned away, a smile on his face. It shouldn't take her long to change her mind. Something would force her hand – probably hunger or thirst. In the end, he would win; it was just a matter of time. Taking the key to the door from inside his cloak, he tossed it into the air, then caught it.

"You're not going to put the chains back on me?" Mika's voice was confused.

"No need. Even after your chakra fully returns, you won't be able to get out of this room. The walls are too thick, and I have the key to the door. But you know what you have to do if you want out. It's as simple as drawing one small line, un."

Leaving Mika to her troubled thoughts, he picked up his cloak, folding it over one arm. Crossing the room, he unlocked the door, going out into the hall and turning the key in the lock once more. Making his way down the corridor, he stopped at the last door on the right. Inside lay several shelves stocked with different kinds of dried food. It was rare for him to use these rations; more often than not, he would stop at restaurants he passed while on his missions. The dried food was always bland and unsatisfying.

But it would do, for now. He knew that soon, his reluctant partner would be too hungry to care _what_ she was eating, so long as it was food. Selecting a couple of packages, he left the room, only to enter another one a moment later. It wasn't long before he had made a steaming plate of rice and vegetables, which he carried back to his own room and placed on the table in the center of the room. Now, all he had to do was wait for Mika to make up her mind.

* * *

Mika gazed blankly down at her forehead protector, though she wasn't truly seeing it. Instead, Deidara's words continued to echo through her mind.

_You know what you have to do if you want out. It's as simple as drawing one small line, un._

Easy for him to say. She would be throwing away her very way of life if she did this. Didn't he understand all that she would be giving up? It was probably impossible for any member of Akatsuki to truly understand. After all, they had all left voluntarily, for one reason or another. But he was forcing her hand, almost literally.

It really was a shame, too. If the situation had been different, she would have been interested in him. He was very attractive beneath that bulky cloak. She shook her head, amazed at her thoughts. Why was she thinking about something like that, now of all times? She must be losing her mind!

Picking up the kunai once more, she placed it against the metal, drawing in a deep breath. Knowing him, he would keep her in here forever, waiting for her to starve to death. Already, she could feel a hollow ache growing within her. She hadn't eaten since the previous night… How long ago had that been?

_This isn't the end,_ she told herself firmly. _I'm only doing what I have to do to survive. When I escape, I can throw away my forehead protector. No one has to know…_

With that last, desperate thought in mind, she swiftly drew a line through the symbol, gritting her teeth at the screech of metal. The kunai fell from her hand, and she sat back against the wall, closing her eyes. He would be back soon, she was sure.

* * *

The rattling of the lock roused her from the light sleep she'd been in. Her head raised as the door swung open and Deidara stepped through it. As soon as he was close enough, she tossed her forehead protector at his feet, looking up at him through narrowed eyes as she stood up.

A satisfied smile appeared on his face as he looked down at the forehead protector. As he had thought. Through the middle of the Sunagakure symbol was a horizontal slash. She had made her decision, just as he knew she would. Picking up the forehead protector, he walked over to her.

"Very good. I knew you would come to the right conclusion. Now, you belong to me."

Crimson met blue as Deidara took her chin in one hand and tilted her face up to lock gazes with her. The expression in her eyes was intoxicating to him. His words had ignited a fire in her; he could see it in her wide eyes. It was a mix of anger, defiance, and - he smirked- hidden deep beneath the other emotions, lust. _Perfect_. All he had to do was kindle that one feeling, and she really would be his. Carefully, he tied her forehead protector back into place.

"I belong to you? When did we make that arrangement?" Mika hissed, searching his single eye for any clue to his thoughts, but all she could see was satisfaction.

"In marking through your forehead protector, you've proved your loyalty to Akatsuki, and as my partner. As you know, we always work in teams of two. You are my new partner, so we belong to each other, un," Deidara explained, releasing her chin and resting his hand on her upper arm instead.

Mika tilted her head slightly to the side at this. "We belong…to each other?" she repeated. His words a moment ago made it sound like it was one-way, like the ownership of an object. But now... Had he misspoken? She didn't think so. He had said that deliberately.

"That's right," he confirmed, closing the distance that had appeared between them. Mika was up against the wall now; he had made sure she couldn't get away from him.

"Does that mean you belong to me too?" she asked, her voice barely more than a whisper.

Deidara was silent. His left hand came up, and he ran a gentle finger down her cheek. His caress continued down her neck, over her shoulder, then jumped from her arm to her side, finally stopping on the curve of her waist.

Her mind screamed at her to get away from him, but her body was unresponsive. Everything she had been taught about Akatsuki warned her that he was dangerous, and that she needed to put distance between them. But she was one of them now; his partner. He wouldn't hurt her.

She waited for his answer, conscious of his hand still on her waist.

Another step towards her brought their bodies flush against each other. Mika's hands came up to rest on his chest. She intended to push him away, but found herself hesitating. Why couldn't she do it? Was it because the lack of chakra had made her weak, or because - in the back of her mind - she didn't want him to move? She tried to convince herself it was the former, but the longer they stood there, the more she began to doubt it. He was having an effect on her, for better or worse.

Curling his left arm around her waist, Deidara used his free hand to tilt her face up. He smirked as he felt her breathing speed up. She was trembling slightly, so faintly that he almost couldn't feel it. Ever so slowly, he leaned forward to whisper in her ear, "Yes, I belong to you, un." Pulling back, he brushed his lips across hers in a fleeting kiss.

Mika's blood erupted into flames. The kiss was over before she had the chance to register it in her mind, but she felt lightheaded, and extremely hot. She wanted to say something, but her voice was gone. Swallowing hard, she tried again.

"Why did you do that?" she whispered. She meant to sound angry and accusing, but the tone that the question took was curious instead.

"A present, for agreeing to help us," he said, removing his hand from her chin and twirling a lock of her hair around one finger. He leaned forward again, and Mika's heart leapt as she realized he intended to kiss her again.

But, to her disappointment – and simultaneous relief - he suddenly jerked back, taking his hand from her waist and stepping away from her. Movement over his shoulder caught her attention, and she watched a shape rise out of the floor. It was vaguely human-shaped, and wore the Akatsuki cloak. But above the cloak, starting – from what she could tell – just above where the thing's waist would be, were a pair of giant leaves. They were closed at the moment, hiding what was within.

"What is it, Zetsu?" Deidara asked, trying to keep the annoyance out of his voice.

The Venus Flytrap-like leaves opened, revealing a face that was jet black on its right side, and pure white on its left. "Leader has a mission for you. At dawn, you must go and retrieve Sasori's ring." Mika noticed that it was the black half that spoke. His voice was somewhat cold.

"We're not interrupting anything, are we?" the white half asked in a much lighter, friendlier voice. His golden eye sparkled mischievously.

Deidara growled quietly, his visible eye narrowing. "Of course not. I was just explaining to her how we do things around here, un," he snapped. After a moment, he turned to look at the strange figure. "What does Leader think he's doing, giving us a mission so soon? Not half a day ago, he was telling me that I needed to rest."

The white half shrugged. "He said that he had faith in your ability to convince your new partner to join us, and assumed that you had already been healed. Was he wrong?"

Deidara shook his head, holding up his left arm where Zetsu could see it. "No, she agreed to heal me. I'm just surprised that he's decided to move so quickly."

"We have no other choice. The ring must be retrieved before someone finds his body. You know that could lead to very…unfavorable results." This came from the black half, his tone matching Deidara's for sharpness.

"And why can't you do it? Aren't you usually in charge of the cleanup?"

"Not in this case. There are other things that I must attend to."

"Cryptic, as usual," Deidara muttered. "I swear, you've been hanging around Leader too long. You're starting to act like him."

Zetsu's black half raised his eyebrow, but neither half said anything more. The leaves closed once more, and he sank through the floor, leaving Deidara and Mika alone again.

"This is annoying. What is Leader up to?" Deidara said, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms carefully. "You probably won't even be awake at dawn, if your chakra hasn't restored itself yet, un."

Mika looked at him thoughtfully. "If I get a good night's sleep, I'll be fine by morning. I can finish healing you, then we can go bring back the ring," she said.

"And you'll have enough chakra to carry out the mission safely?" he asked, watching her out of the corner of his eye.

"If I'm careful; using only what's strictly necessary to heal you, I'll be fine," she assured him.

He nodded, heading for the door. But he paused when he realized that she wasn't following him. "Coming?"

Mika blinked. "You mean…you're letting me out?"

"I made you a deal, didn't I?" He gestured to her forehead protector. "You met my condition. That means you're free now. Unless you _want_ to stay in here…?"

"You'll never get a good rest in an empty room, un," he remarked casually, turning to head farther down the hall, stopping at the fourth door on the left.

Mika followed him cautiously, unsure of what he was insinuating. When he opened the door and went inside, she peered around the door curiously.

The room was fairly large, lit by torches set in each corner. Beneath one of them was a bed, and a table was near it. On the table was – her stomach growled. Was that plate of food for her? In another corner was a second table; this one larger. A pack was in the middle of it, though Mika couldn't tell what was inside it. The rest of the room was bare, but she could sense Deidara's presence in it, almost as if his chakra was ingrained into the walls. This was his room.

She stood in the doorway, watching him as he went over to the table in the corner and put the pouches strapped to his waist on it. He turned to look at her.

"Come on inside," he said, motioning with his hand.

Mika stepped inside and closed the door, but advanced no farther into the room.

Deidara, still watching her, sighed in exasperation and went over to her. He wrapped his hand around her wrist and pulled her over to the table in the middle of the room, pushing the plate of food to one side, out of the way. He sat her down on one side, then took the opposite chair for himself. Reaching into a pocket, he withdrew a small black bottle.

Mika watched him warily as he opened it, then reached for her hand.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"It's just nail color, don't worry," he assured her, holding up the bottle. "Every member of Akatsuki wears it. Think of it as a kind of body identification. Each set of partners wears a different color."

Though she was still dubious, she allowed him to carefully put the nail color on her. While it was drying, she looked around.

"Where am I going to sleep tonight?" she asked. Her head was turned, so she didn't see the wicked smirk that appeared on Deidara's face.

He stood up and went across the room, seating himself on the edge of the bed. "Right here," he said, patting the blankets with one hand.

"And you?"

The grin grew wider. "Same place. Since you don't have a hall of your own, you'll have to stay with me, un. After all, I have to make sure you don't decide to sneak away while no one's looking."

Mika's head snapped around. "Sleep in the same room - in the same _bed_ - as you?"

_Oh, __**hell **__no._


	11. Chapter 3 Rewritten: Getting to Know You

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any related characters. No money is made from the writing of this story.

* * *

Deidara watched her, his eye half-closed in amusement. It seemed she wasn't too pleased with the sleeping arrangements. Tonight was going to be fun.

He stood up and lit a candle that was on the table near the bed. Making his way around the room, he put out the torches, leaving the room only faintly illuminated by the candle. Mika watched his every move warily.

He gestured to the plate of food in front of her. "Eat that, before it gets cold. I heard your stomach growling. It's dehydrated rations, so I doubt it actually tastes like food, but we don't have anything better here." He gave a short laugh. "It's interesting that we only eat well when we're on missions. A consequence of not having a village to live in, un."

Mika pulled the plate towards her, taking a small bite of the food. She chewed thoughtfully for a moment. "It's not that bad, actually. I've had a lot worse." That didn't necessarily mean the food was _good_, though. But her hunger soon got the better of her, and within a few minutes, the plate had been scraped clean.

Sitting back down on the bed, Deidara looked over at her, noticing that she was still perched on the edge of her chair. It seemed that her meal hadn't relaxed her at all. Oh, well. It had been worth a shot. He extended his hand, coiling his index finger back towards himself in the classic 'come here' motion.

Mika hesitated, then stood up, walking slowly over to him. The bed _did_ look soft, she had to admit. Even if it was currently occupied by someone she wasn't sure she even liked. It seemed that he didn't trust her yet, despite the fact that she had marked through her forehead protector. And truth be told, he was smart to keep her in here. If he had left her alone, she would have taken the opportunity to try and escape.

"I'm not gonna bite you, un," he said, catching hold of her arm and pulling her down next to him.

She looked up at him, tilting her head slightly to the side. Though she had noticed it before, she hadn't had the chance to ask him about the scope hidden beneath his blonde hair. "Do you always wear that thing?" she asked, nodding to it. She actually liked how it made him look, but she was still curious about it. She'd seen many different ninja tools, but never had she seen anyone that used something like this. It intrigued her.

"Yeah, most of the time, un," he answered. He shifted positions, leaning back against the wall with his legs outstretched, crossed at the ankle, and his right arm folded behind his head. His left was rested carefully in his lap.

Mika bit her lip, debating her next move. She wanted to see what he looked like without the scope, but she didn't want to just ask him to take it off. Besides, he had done several things without _her_ permission. Maybe it was time for her to return the favor.

Before she could lose her nerve, she pulled her legs underneath her and crawled towards him on her hands and knees. Straddling his thighs, she sat there for a moment, hesitating.

Deidara's eye widened at her sudden show of courage. That was the last thing he had expected her to do. Before, whenever he'd gotten close to her, she'd seemed almost desperate to get away from him. But now here she was, practically pressed up against him. And she'd done it of her own free will. Was she starting to warm up to him?

He watched as her hand came up to gently brush his long bangs aside. His eye closed when she touched the warm metal of the scope, and when he didn't stop her, she carefully removed it.

After a moment, both of his eyes opened, and Mika saw that his left eye was just as blue as the right. She had expected... Well, she wasn't sure _what_she had expected. That his left eye was a different color, maybe, and that's why he always wore the scope, to keep it hidden. But no; both of his eyes were a clear azure blue, and were currently watching her with an expression that was a mix between surprise and content.

Her show of daring almost made Deidara smile. Someone with guts was just what he needed, and for her to suddenly straddle him like that, and take off his scope just to satisfy her curiosity... She was perfect for being his partner.

"Why do you wear it all the time?" She sat down lightly, practically in his lap, her hands resting on her thighs. She still held his scope in her right hand. His warmth seeped into her, easing some of the soreness that had taken up residence in her body. It was so comfortable that she was able to ignore the embarrassment of being this close to him. As far as she was concerned, it was ultimately _his_ fault that she was so sore; acting as a source of heat was the least he could do for her.

Deidara was silent for so long, she began to think that he wasn't going to answer at all. She realized then by the flash of anger in his visible eye just how hard this was for him to talk about. "You know that I was tricked into joining Akatsuki. Itachi used a genjutsu on me, turning my attack back on myself. I hated him for tricking me, and decided that one day I would kill him. But to do that, I would need to be able to see through his genjutsu. So, I trained my left eye to be immune to the genjutsu's effects. I wear the scope so that my vision isn't skewed. The fact that it also helps in long-range battles is just a bonus, un."

The name Itachi caused a flicker of recognition within her. She knew that name from somewhere… But try as she might to think of the face that went along with that name, she couldn't. Hmm. Why was it so familiar? She knew there was no one in the village with that name, so where had she heard it?

Pulling herself out of her thoughts, Mika looked at Deidara for a moment longer, then glanced down at the scope. Carefully, she replaced it over his eye. She smiled slightly, realizing that she preferred how he looked with it on. But the smile faded almost instantly, and she looked away. No, she would _not_ let herself be charmed by him. He had taken her away from her village; she should hate him. But although she was still annoyed by that fact, something about him just...called to her. She _couldn't_hate him.

A slight shift beneath her reminded her of where she was. Even though she was still a little cold, she rolled to the right, settling into the corner with her knees drawn up to her chest.

Deidara noticed with some amusement that she was blushing slightly. As he watched, she moved, sliding down the wall and curling up into a ball, her back to him.

Mika kicked her shoes off, stretched her legs out, then rolled over onto her back, still keeping as far away from him as possible, which resulted in her being pressed up against the wall. She had allowed herself to relax slightly, and now fatigue was creeping up on her.

Turning his head slightly so he could see her, Deidara watched as she fought against the wave of exhaustion. Soon, her eyes closed, and her breathing deepened. He rolled over onto his side, propping his head up carefully on his left hand. He noticed that she looked different when she was really asleep.

Before, when she was only unconscious, her countenance had seemed troubled; eyebrows knit together, her breathing shallow and uneven. But now, when she was truly resting, Deidara could almost forget how much of a hard time she had given him. His eye narrowed thoughtfully. He had to find a way to completely win her over. Playing with her had been fun, but he wanted to know what she looked like when she really smiled. He knew she had liked it when he had kissed her; he had felt her pulse quicken, saw the fire in her eyes that wasn't from anger, but something else.

It was part of why he had decided to choose her. The last thing he needed was a timid little mouse of a girl getting in his way. If she had turned out to be like that, he wouldn't have hesitated to kill her, and find someone else who would suit him better. But the night of the attack, when he'd seen her for the first time, he had seen no fear in her gaze, as he had with a lot of the other ninja. No, the only thing that had been in her eyes was anger, which had been what first sparked his interest in her. Of course she had been worried about her village, and the people who lived there. But her anger had been stronger.

Now if he could just get her to use that hostility on someone else, they would be a dangerous pair, the way he and Sasori had been. He wanted that power back; the intoxicating feeling of invulnerability that made him believe he could get away with anything. But he had been arrogant before, and he had paid for it with his left arm, and, more importantly, Sasori's life. He wouldn't make that mistake again.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when Mika rolled onto her side, towards him. Her left hand came out to lightly grasp the front of his shirt. What was she doing? Deidara knew that she was still asleep - there was no way she would do that if she were awake. He watched her curiously. Did she always cling to things when she was asleep?

He frowned a little. Maybe he should move her. If she awoke and found them in this compromising position, he knew she would immediately assume the worst. It wasn't an outcome that he wanted. After all, he was trying to win her over, and if she thought _he _had done this, all of his hard work would be for nothing. No, it would be better to move her now, before she- His thought processes were abruptly cut off when Mika shifted once again, this time snuggling up against his chest.

This made him pause, more than a little surprised. From her prickly personality when she was awake, he never would have figured she would be the type to cling to things in her sleep. It was certainly interesting, though. Or rather, it _would_ have been, if she had been holding on to anyone else. As it was, though, he couldn't help but feel a hint of helplessness, something he _definitely _did not like.

A quiet sigh escaped his lips. It would be impossible for him to move her now, unless he woke her up. He would just have to hope that she moved on her own; hopefully before she awoke. Carefully, he rested his head on his arm and closed his eyes. Soon, he had drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The first thing Mika noticed before she even opened her eyes was a familiar scent. _His_ scent. Her eyes flew open, and at first, all she could see was a mesh-covered chest. Pulling back, she blushed, realizing that she had been sleeping right up against him. How had that happened? She had fallen asleep as far away from him as possible, so how had she ended up using him for a pillow?

Scooting backwards, she got a good look at Deidara. He was still asleep, laying on his left side with his head resting on his arm.

Her eyes narrowed slightly at this. She would have to move that arm if she was going to finish healing it. But could she get it out from under him without waking him up? Cautiously, she reached out, straightening his arm out and turning him over onto his back. Deidara stirred slightly, but didn't open his eyes. Mika gave a soft sigh of relief. It looked like he was a deep sleeper – an unusual quality for a ninja, but in this case, one that she appreciated. She wasn't ready to face him yet; not until she was sure that the blush had faded from her cheeks. The soft green glow from the healing jutsu surrounded her hands, bathing the room in an eerie light.

While she worked, she thought back to what had just happened. Waking up beside him had – unfortunately – been fairly pleasant. All things considered, he made a decent pillow. But she could never let him find out about that. He would torment her about it, she was sure. Maybe she should just start sleeping on the floor. That way, she wouldn't have to worry about him waking up and finding her close to him again.

A smile appeared on her face as a better thought came to her. Or, she could just push _him _ into the floor. He was the one that refused to let her stay in a room by herself, so he should have to suffer the consequences. She shook her head, knowing that she would never be able to carry out this plan. Still, it was an amusing thought.

Mika's eyes flickered to Deidara's face as she saw his brow furrow. His eye opened slowly, and he glanced over at her, his vision still blurry from sleep.

"Was it the light that woke you, or the bones mending?" she asked, gazing down at him. She'd hoped to finish healing him before he awoke, but she wasn't really surprised that he hadn't stayed asleep. It was hard to sleep through a healing.

Deidara was somewhat surprised. Her voice was soft, almost gentle, even. All the venom that had been in her words before had vanished. He couldn't help but wonder why. Was she starting to warm up to him, or was her lack of hostility because she had just woken up? Either way, it was a welcome change.

"A little of both, un," he told her, gritting his teeth as he felt the bones shifting, sending white-hot needles of pain lancing up his arm. When he'd still lived in Iwagakure, he'd always hated it when he wound up in the hospital. He was grateful that he had a high pain threshold; his trips to the hospital were much less frequent than some of the other ninja. Still, he'd spent his fair share of time there, and he hadn't enjoyed a moment of it.

A few minutes later, Mika removed her hands from his arm and sat back on the bed. "There we go, completely healed. I finished fitting the bone fragments together, solidifying them and sealing the fractures. You'll notice some stiffness for a couple of days, but it'll go away. "

Deidara sat up and flexed his arm, inspecting it carefully. The bruising was gone, and his skin had returned to its normal lightly-tanned color. A quick smile crossed his face. She really was a talented medic. He'd made a good choice in picking her for Sasori's replacement.

"Thanks," he said, standing up. He stretched luxuriously, and Mika heard his back and neck cracking as he worked the tension out of them.

Mika blinked in surprise. She hadn't expected him to thank her. "You're welcome," she responded.

Deidara finished stretching and went over to the table. He picked up his cloak and put it on, fastening the clasps. Turning to look at her, he held up one finger. "Wait here, I'll be right back, un." Going to the door, he opened it and stepped outside.

Mika watched him go, then slid off the bed, putting her shoes on. She thought back to last night. Maybe he wasn't as bad as she'd first thought. Twice now she had been defenseless in front of him, and neither time had he tried to do anything to her. So far – omitting the threat to her life, which she still wasn't certain had been genuine – he had taken fairly good care of her.

She closed her eyes, eyebrows knitting together as a frown appeared on her face. This was troubling. Was she… Was she falling for him?

Her head snapped up as the door opened, jerking her out of her musings. Deidara entered, another cloak folded over his arm. He made his way over to the bed and handed her the cloak.

Taking it, she stood up and shook it out. "Where do you get all of these? This is the third one I've seen in two days."

"Our missions tend to be a little rough. It's not uncommon for our cloaks to get torn. Every member has a few extras, un," he explained, stepping back and crossing his arms. "Try it on."

Mika nodded once and slid her arms through the long sleeves. It was a little big on her; the ends of the sleeves came almost to the tips of her fingers, where on Deidara they stopped in the middle of his hands.

She fastened the clasps, leaving the top one open. Looking back up at Deidara, she raised her eyebrows, silently asking for his opinion.

He nodded in approval, and, for the first time, he saw her smile, though it was fleeting. Looking down at herself, she ran her hands over the fabric, smoothing out the wrinkles. The hem barely brushed her ankles, and she pulled at the high collar, straightening it.

"This is going to take some getting used to," she said. Fighting in the baggy cloak was going to be difficult; she was used to the light fabric of her own clothes. The cloak was made of a heavier material, though she noticed it was still fairly thin. She would still have free motion; the fabric was soft, and would allow for a full range of movement. Once she got used to the length, it wouldn't cause her any problems. On top of that, it would keep her warm at night. But why did it have to be so _bulky_? Who had come up with these things, anyway?

Ninja weren't supposed to wear clothing that might inhibit their motions; it was a sure way to get themselves killed. That was why most of them chose to wear form-fitting outfits. Even in Sunagakure, when cooler, looser clothing was preferred, it wasn't anywhere close to this.

"It's almost sunrise; we need to get going, un," Deidara told her, going back to the door.

"Right." She followed him as he opened the door...and almost crashed right into someone standing just outside.

Mika stopped abruptly, taking in the appearance of the one standing in front of Deidara. He was a couple of inches taller, and looked to be a year or two older. His long black hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, and his eyes were dark- at least, she _thought_they were. For a moment, she could have sworn she saw them flash crimson. But when she looked again, they were dark and expressionless once more. The top clasp on his cloak was unbuttoned, and she could see that he wore a necklace with metal circles.

Deidara's back stiffened and he took a step back. "What is it, Itachi?" he asked, ice dripping from his words.

Mika narrowed her eyes. This was the one who had tricked Deidara into joining; who could use deadly genjutsu? She froze as his midnight eyes settled on her. He glanced at the cloak she wore, then at her forehead protector. One eyebrow raised, ever so slightly.

"You've already replaced Sasori? How did you find someone so quickly?" His voice was just as expressionless as his eyes, but Mika could sense something cold and distant beneath his calm demeanor.

"She's a medic, which we need. My arm was broken, and she was nearby, un," Deidara said. His voice was calm, but strained. It wasn't hard to see how much he disliked the dark-haired young man in front of him. "Now, I'll say it again. What do you want? We're in a hurry."

"I wanted to see if what Zetsu told me was the truth." Itachi's eyes flickered from Deidara back to Mika. "Obviously it was. Let's hope she will be an adequate addition to Akatsuki. At this point, we can't afford to have…weak members."

Mika felt annoyance well up inside her. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and she stepped up beside Deidara. Itachi had some nerve, insulting her when he didn't even know her. She glanced at his forehead protector. Konohagakure. Her eyebrows knit together. Itachi… Konoha… Realization flared in her eyes a moment later as something fell into place within her mind. Itachi. _Uchiha _ Itachi. No wonder his name had sounded so familiar to her. This was the one responsible for the Uchiha massacre. Even in Sunagakure, she had heard about that.

Steeling herself, Mika left Deidara's side, brushing past Itachi and stopping a few steps away. "Excuse us. We have a mission to carry out," she said, regarding Itachi coldly over her shoulder. Though something about him sent chills though her body, she wouldn't let him see that. She didn't take kindly to those who insulted her, even if they did frighten her a little. She knew that she was probably insane, antagonizing a mass murderer.

But in all honesty, Itachi didn't look like a bad person. Under the right circumstances, he seemed as if he might actually be worth getting to know, even if he was currently doing an excellent impression of a living block of ice. But despite the air of mystery that clung to him, the way he carried himself made her conscious of the fact that he was still an elite ninja, and shouldn't be taken lightly.

Itachi looked over at Deidara. "Another mission so soon? You've just returned from capturing the Jinchuuriki. Leader certainly isn't wasting any time, is he? It's only been a day since we finished sealing the One-Tail. What could be so important that it takes priority over regaining your strength?"

"Master Sasori's ring. Leader wants us to go bring it back, un." Deidara's eye narrowed slightly. "Since when have you been this interested in others' missions? You usually keep to yourself. Why the sudden urge to be sociable?"

"Because it's bad manners to not introduce yourself to others. Especially new comrades," said a new voice. They turned to see a tall figure standing at the entrance to the hall. Like Itachi, he wore the Akatsuki cloak, but his appearance... He had short blue-black hair that spiked upwards, and skin that reminded Mika of a shark. Indeed, his whole appearance was shark-like, from his needle-like teeth to his small eyes. He wore a giant sword strapped to his back, but instead of a sheath, there were bandages wrapped around the blade. Around his forehead was the forehead protector of Kirigakure, bearing the customary slash through the symbol.

He stepped closer and smiled. On any other person, that smile would have been friendly, but on him, it looked almost predatory. "I'm Kisame, Itachi-san's partner. You must be Sasori-san's replacement. Zetsu-san told us about you."

"My name is Mika," she said quietly. She wasn't very fond of everyone referring to her as "Sasori's replacement", but as they didn't know her name at the time, they really didn't have anything else to call her.

Besides that was the fact that, besides Deidara, none of the others saw her as a member of Akatsuki yet. She would need to prove that she was good enough to be one of them. At the moment, though, she wasn't sure what she would have to do to earn their respect. Would retrieving Sasori's ring be enough, or would she have to do something by herself?

"As fun as this little get-together is, Mika and I do have a mission to complete. We can finish chatting later, un," Deidara said, walking towards Mika. "It's been four days already since Master Sasori was killed. We have to get that ring back before anyone else finds it."

Mika looked over at him. "Why is that ring so important?" she asked. Deidara held up his right hand. On his index finger was a ring with the character for 'blue'.

"There were ten rings made, once for each member of Akatsuki's inner circle. We're missing one; Orochimaru – Master Sasori's original partner - took his with him when he left. We have to get Master Sasori's ring back because if anyone were to find it, it would put all of us in danger," he explained. "We're already taking enough of a risk by letting Orochimaru keep his. We can't afford to lose a second one."

"Are you saying that a ring can be a threat?" she asked incredulously. "But how?"

"As you're aware, everyone has a unique chakra signature," Kisame spoke up from in front of them. "It wouldn't be difficult for a ninja who is a chakra sensor to trace Sasori-san's signature from Sunagakure back to here, or any of our other bases."

Mika was silent for a moment. "What about me? Could they trace my signature from the place where Deidara took me?" At this point, she had mixed feelings about this. On one hand, if someone did find her, she might be able to go back home. But then, the ninja that found her would kill Deidara and the others. And if they weren't killed outright, they would be taken back to their home villages and tortured. Either way, the outcome was death, and she didn't think she wanted that.

Of course, all that was assuming she _did_ get to go home. In all forms, she was now a member of Akatsuki. The clothes and the nail color may have been overlooked by any would-be rescuers, but not the glaringly obvious slash through her forehead protector. She could always claim that she was being forced to do this against her will… It wasn't entirely a lie. Or at least, it _hadn't _been. But more and more, she was beginning to wonder. What if she really was starting to do this because it was something she _wanted_ to do, rather than because she had no other choice?

Her whirling mind was brought to a halt by Deidara's next words.

"No. The chakra signature only works on the ground. I brought you here by air. There's nothing to trace, un." He walked past Kisame. "Now, we can finish talking later." His discomfort was glaringly obvious, though Mika couldn't say that she blamed him.

Mika followed him, turning to bow to Kisame, and, after a moment's hesitation, to Itachi. The least she could do was appear polite, she decided. That might help the others to warm up to her a bit faster.

Deidara led her out of his hall and into the large anteroom. To her left, she could see a long table set near the wall. There were ten high-backed chairs around it, five on either side, but they were all vacant at the moment.

A low rumbling brought her attention back to the front of the room, and she saw that a doorway had opened in the wall.

"Let's go," Deidara said, stepping outside. Mika followed slowly, going out into the early dawn light, and getting her first glimpse of where she had been taken.


	12. Chapter 4 Rewritten: Mission

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any related characters. No money is made from the writing of this story.

* * *

The morning air had a hint of a bite to it, making Mika shiver slightly, despite the cloak she wore. Autumn was fast approaching. She usually didn't have a problem with cold weather, except that it made medicinal herbs a bit harder to find. One good thing about living in Sunagakure was that it never got cold enough to completely kill the meager supply of plants that could be found in the desert, though it did thin them out a bit. It always forced the medics to expand their search for the herbs that couldn't be found in the greenhouses.

Too often, Sunagakure had to rely on supplies imported from other lands. Mika smiled slightly as a thought struck her. Akatsuki traveled all over the lands. That meant she was no longer limited to just what Sunagakure could offer her. It was a dream come true for any medic. She would be able to find whatever she needed, and more.

That sent a tendril of excitement through her. Being a ninja had been her greatest dream when she was a young child, and she had begun her training in the Academy as soon as she was old enough. After she graduated, she had devoted every waking minute to her training, taking every opportunity to carry out missions, regardless of what they were.

But six months after she'd graduated, disaster struck. Her team had been sent on what was supposed to be a simple scouting mission of their northern border. They had been staying the night in a small town just short of their destination when it was attacked by a group of ninja from the neighboring land. In the chaos, she and her teammates were separated from each other.

By the time the attack was over, and she had found her teacher and teammates, it was already too late. Her best friend, a young boy name Kazuki, who she'd grown up with, had been fatally wounded. The town had been nearly destroyed, forcing them to take shelter elsewhere. Moving the boy had been a bad idea, but the alternative was to stay in the remains of the town, risking a second attack.

Her teacher had done everything in his power to try and save Kazuki, and for a while, it seemed as if the boy might recover. But two days later, Mika had awoken to find her teacher holding a small bundle wrapped up in a white sheet; the same sheet they'd covered Kazuki with the night before... During the night, the boy had bled to death.

They had carried him back to the village immediately, wanting to give him a proper burial. For several days, Mika had refused to see anyone, locking herself in her room. Even though she had known that being a ninja was dangerous, she had never thought that something like this would happen. The grief she'd felt over losing Kazuki had made her seriously doubt whether she wanted to continue being a ninja. If there had only been someone there who could have stopped the bleeding…

But it wasn't long before a solution had come to her. _She_ could be the one. If she learned how to use medical jutsu, she would never have to watch another comrade die in front of her again. Filled with determination, she had gone straight to the village's hospital, hoping to find someone who could teach her how to be one of the village's medical ninja. The training had been hard, and she'd often been left out of missions with her teacher and remaining teammate, but the end result had been worth it. By the time she was seventeen, she had become one of the best medics in the village, and was well on her way to earning a jounin rank. Now, almost two years later, here she was.

She was suddenly jerked out of her thoughts when a sound resembling a muffled explosion drew her attention. Turning her head to the right, she saw Deidara standing next to a bird similar to the one she had first seen him riding. Odd… She was sure that hadn't been there a moment ago. Where had it come from? As she watched, he jumped up onto it, then turned to look at her.

"Come on. It'll take us a couple of hours to get there, but it's a lot faster than walking, un," he told her.

Mika hesitated, looking at the bird apprehensively. For several seconds, she considered outright refusing. That thing didn't look anywhere _near_ safe. But then she sighed; another part of being a ninja meant often doing things you didn't really want to do. With that in mind, she took a deep breath, then leapt up beside him. She knelt down, but much to her surprise, he remained standing. Her eyes clenched shut as she felt the bird take off, and the bottom of her stomach dropped out, making her give a soft gasp that was filled with more than a little fear.

Looking down at her, Deidara noticed that her fingers were digging into the bird, leaving deep furrows in the clay. He knelt down beside her, then bent forward to peer into her face. "You all right?" When she didn't immediately reply, he shook her shoulder gently. "Hey, what is it?"

Her right hand came up to wrap around his wrist in a surprisingly strong hold, and he was surprised to see her knuckles turn white. "Heights," she hissed through clenched teeth. "I hate heights." Her voice was low and forced.

This made him pause. She was afraid of heights? That was unexpected, and more than a little unfortunate. If she was going to be his partner, she would have to get used to flying. All of his long-distance travel was done by air.

"You're perfectly safe. Unless I release the jutsu, nothing is going to happen, un," Deidara assured her.

Mika cracked one eye open and looked over at him. She relaxed slightly, releasing his wrist, for which he was grateful; he was beginning to lose the feeling in it.

He wracked his mind, trying to think of something to talk to her about, to take her mind off the fact that she was a thousand feet above the ground. There was _one_ thing he could talk to her about, though it might not be in his best interest to bring it up. Still though, he wanted to see her reaction. Besides, if she was angry at him, it would definitely make her forget about her fear.

"Did you sleep well last night?" he asked casually, sitting down beside her and propping one arm on a bent knee. He saw her stiffen slightly, and look up at him. All trace of fear was gone from her eyes now, just as he'd hoped. Instead, they flashed with something he couldn't quite identify. Anger? Embarrassment? Or maybe...

Mika looked at him through eyes half-narrowed in suspicion. It was an innocent enough question, but she heard a note lurking in his voice that told her he was looking for a specific answer. He knew how she had ended up snuggled up against him, didn't he? But although she wanted to know if he had been awake to witness what had happened, she wouldn't rise to the bait.

"Fine, thank you," she said cheerily, trying to throw him off-guard. Unfortunately, it didn't work. He remained as calm as ever. Damn him.

"You didn't get cold? The base is really nothing more than a cave, so it can get cold at night, especially this close to winter, un." He watched her carefully out of the corner of his eye, reading the play of emotions across her face. Or rather, the lack thereof. Odd... He had been sure this would work. Maybe it was time to stop being subtle and go in for the kill.

"Not in the least. Somehow, I stayed completely warm." She met his gaze evenly, trying to give nothing away, though she was eaten up with curiosity. Did he know or not? She hated it when people kept secrets from her; ironic really, since secrets were a major part of being a ninja.

"Hmm, interesting." A wicked grin crossed his face. "From the way you were holding on to me, I'd say that you were at least a little cold."

Mika's face became inflamed and she lowered her head, her hair falling across her face in an obscuring curtain. And there it was. He'd known all this time. Still, it made her wonder why he was just now deciding to bring it up. Maybe he'd been hoping she would say something about it first. Either that, or he had been deliberately waiting, for no other reason than to torment her, making her wonder if he knew. Yes, that seemed much more likely.

"You should've told me you hold on to things in your sleep. I'm not used to having someone in my bed. If you do that every night, it's going to take some getting used to," he remarked, almost casually.

Mika's head came up and she stared incredulously at him. Did she hear that right? No, surely not. He had said that he wasn't _used_ to sharing his bed, not that he never had. Damn him for making comments that could be misinterpreted. But still...it made her wonder. Was she the first one he'd shared a bed with, even though nothing had happened between them? He had certainly seemed to know what he was doing when he had kissed her. But then, she reminded herself, lots of ninja knew how to seduce others while never having engaged in any further activity themselves. But was Deidara one of them? He _couldn't_ be.

Mika shook her head, trying to shake loose this somewhat embarrassing train of thought, only to have it return a moment later. Still though, if she _were_ the first to share his bed... A tingle ran through her, followed by an immediate lock-down on that errant though. _No_. She couldn't let herself think that. She wasn't attracted to him...was she? Her racing heart certainly seemed to disagree. Then again, she reasoned with herself, that could simply be because they were so high up. Yes, that had to be what it was.

Deidara watched her out of the corner of his eye. His remark had been simple enough, but it seemed to have set off a landslide of thoughts within her. He wanted to know what those thoughts were; he could practically see the gears turning in her head. Whatever she was thinking about, it was intense.

After a moment, her eyes lost their glazed look and she focused on him once more. To her relief, she had managed to push those images out of her mind, and lock them securely away; or at least, she _hoped_ they had been locked away. It wouldn't do for them to suddenly spring up and cause such an unfavorable reaction in her. She hated it when she wasn't able to control everything that went on with her body, and the sensations that were awakened when those thoughts went through her head were most definitely out of control.

Deidara waited for several minutes, but Mika didn't speak again. He frowned slightly. That wasn't good. She had fallen quiet far too quickly. He'd thought her anger would last a lot longer. He couldn't let her withdraw from him. Deciding to take the conversation into his own hands, he asked, "Why did you decide to be my partner?"

Mika was quiet for a moment, thinking over the question. It was harder to answer than she thought it would be. "I either had to join you or be killed. I'm not afraid to die, but that doesn't mean I _want_ to."

"So you abandoned your village because you didn't want to die?" he asked skeptically. "You must not have been very loyal to begin with, if you left so easily. Most ninja would be proud to die in the defense of their village, un." Deidara turned his head to fully look at her.

Mika's eyes flashed. "Don't you dare say that! I _am_ loyal to my village. I just..." She trailed off, the heat leaving her voice. "I don't know why I did it. Maybe I just needed a change. I'm not sure that remaining in the village would allow me to progress any further, either as a ninja, or as a medic. Because it's in the middle of the desert, Sunagakure's supplies are limited. I need more, if I want to get stronger. Being your partner could give me that. Besides, I was out there all alone when you took me. If I'd fought you and died, how would that have been in my village's defense? You weren't a threat to the village, just to me."

She leaned back, finally relaxing completely, and closed her eyes for a moment. To her surprise, she actually liked the feel of the wind on her face, and with her eyes closed, it wasn't too difficult to forget just high up they were. The bird's motions were smooth, almost nonexistent. The morning sun on her body warmed her, and she looked over at Deidara.

He noticed that her hostility towards him had all but melted away, to be replaced by curiosity. "Tell me about yourself," she coaxed. "If we're going to be partners, I think we should know a little more about each other, don't you?"

Deidara gazed back at her for a moment, then lay down on his back, hands behind his head, one knee crossed over the other. "There's really not much to tell. I was born and raised in Iwagakure, but when I turned sixteen, I left so I could work on my art. The villagers didn't understand my tastes, and many ridiculed me. After I left, I became an assassin bomber for anyone who would hire me. Not long after that, Akatsuki's leader, Pein, found out about me and decided I would make a good member. He sent Itachi, Kisame, and Master Sasori to find me. Itachi challenged me to a battle, promising to leave me alone if I won. He tricked me with his genjutsu, forcing me to lose. I was partnered with Master Sasori and inducted into Akatsuki."

Mika waited for him to continue, but when he remained silent, she decided to ask a question that she'd been wondering about. "What do you mean by art? Are you a painter or something?" To her surprise, this prompted a short bark of laughter from the blonde.

"Haven't you realized it by now? My bombs are my art," he said, fondly patting the bird beneath them with one hand.

Mika stiffened suddenly, sitting completely upright. "This thing is a _bomb_?" she asked, panic rising in her voice.

Again, he laughed, but it was good-natured, rather than mocking. "No, this one is just clay," he assured her. "I can make regular sculptures, too. By infusing the clay I use with my chakra, I can turn those sculptures into bombs. But I know better than to make a bomb out of something I use for transportation." He gazed up at the clouds, his eye half-closed. "I've always believed that art is something that should enter and exit this world quickly. The people of my village didn't understand that, and that's why I left, un. Master Sasori had different views on art; he thought it should be eternal. But since he was a fellow artist, and a good one, I didn't question him, even though I didn't agree."

Mika watched him for a moment, then stretched out on her side a short distance away. She propped her head up on one hand and smiled slightly. "You had a lot of respect for him, didn't you?" she asked.

"We had our differences sometimes, but yes, I did," he replied, closing his eye completely. "That was what made us such an effective team. Our art was powerful when we used it separately, but together, we were almost unstoppable." His voice had grown soft, and now trailed off into silence.

"Not still sleepy, are you? I had no idea ninja were so lazy," she said, a hint of teasing in her voice. Reaching out, she lightly brushed her fingers through his long bangs. A slight smile crossed her face as she was fixed with a light blue gaze.

"I'm not sleepy. But we have a way to go yet; so we might as well get comfortable, un," he answered, his eye closing once more.

Mika bit her lip, looking away. "Umm... I'm sorry about last night. If I made you uncomfortable, I mean. I'm used to sleeping alone, so I didn't know that I held on to things. If I had, I would have insisted on sleeping somewhere else," she said quietly, blushing faintly.

This caused Deidara to prop himself up on one elbow and look at her. She was apologizing? That was something he certainly hadn't been expecting. He shook his head, then lay back down. "You don't have to apologize. You're acting like you committed a crime. This isn't as big a deal as you're making it out to be."

A thought suddenly struck her, making her narrow her eyes. "If you have a whole hall to yourself, then why did I have to sleep in your room? Surely at least one of those other rooms were empty."

A half-smile appeared on Deidara's face, but from her position, Mika couldn't see it.

"I had to be sure you wouldn't escape during the night. Even if I had've locked you in, I'm sure you would have found a way to break the lock. After all, you're a jounin. Escaping from locked rooms was part of your training, wasn't it? That's why I used chakra-absorbing chains on you – as an extra precaution to make sure that you wouldn't have the strength to break out, un," he explained.

"But I had already promised you I wouldn't try to run away. I even marked though my forehead protector," she protested, sitting up and tucking her legs underneath her.

"Promises are worthless to ninja, and forehead protectors can be taken off. Besides, you only marked through your forehead protector out of fear for your life. Once that threat disappeared, you would have no reason to stay, would you?"

Mika's eyes narrowed slightly and she crawled forward until she was right beside him, peering into his face. She brushed his bangs to one side so that he would be able to see her out of both eyes.

"What do you mean 'promises are worthless'? They're everything, _especially_ to ninja. When we resolve to do something, we keep trying until we succeed, or until we die." She was quiet for a moment, a troubled look on her face. "What happened to you to make you think like that? Who broke an important promise?"

Deidara looked up at her, and she could see bitterness in his gaze. He sighed, turning his head to one side so she couldn't see the expression on his face.

"A year before I left the village, my team was sent out on a mission. We were ordered to retrieve a stolen scroll from a gang of bandits. The mission was simple enough, so only one squad was dispatched. But what we didn't know was that it was a trap. The bandits hadn't stolen the scroll for themselves, but for ninja from an enemy village. Our squad was ambushed, and I was captured. One of my teammates was killed, and the other... It wasn't long before his true nature was revealed. He begged the ninja to let him live, in exchange for my life. He threw me to the wolves, just so they would spare him. We had always been taught that teamwork was one of the most important things to a ninja. Before we left the village, we had sworn to protect each other at any cost, but he broke that vow.

"The ninja let him escape, figuring it wasn't worth the trouble of killing him. They decided to use me for ransom, and kept me alive. I eventually managed to escape, using my explosives. But that wasn't even the end of it. When I went back to the village, I found out my team member had told them I was dead. I wasn't very popular in the village by then, so when I finally turned up safe, there wasn't much of a homecoming waiting for me. I think that day was when I truly resolved to leave the village one day, un."

By the time he finished his story, Mika's eyes had narrowed again; not in suspicion this time, but in sympathy. So that was what had happened. No wonder he hadn't believed her when she said she would stay.

She knew betrayal and lies were part of the ninja world, but that didn't make it hurt any less when you had to experience them. Hesitantly, her hand came out to rest on his arm.

"Thank you for telling me that," she whispered. Somehow, she knew that he had never told anyone else about this particular part of his past. It touched – and surprised - her to know that he had opened up to her like that, though she doubted he would do it again.

Deidara turned his head slightly, enough that he would be able to see her out of the corner of his eye, and watched her carefully. What had happened to her, suddenly? Did that story really make her show her soft side? He exhaled, making a sound not unlike a sigh. This girl was strange... She was a ninja; she should have been familiar with incidents like what had happened to him. Traitors existed in every village, after all.

"How much longer until we get to where we're going?" Mika asked suddenly, taking her hand off of his arm. Her voice had returned to normal, though she still sat beside him.

"Half an hour or so, un," he answered absently, closing his eye and relaxing. Though he wouldn't have admitted it, he was relieved that she hadn't pursued the issue of his past further. It made him uneasy when she behaved like that. He wanted to see the fiery part of her personality. She was much more fun to play with when she was like that.

"Tell me, why did you kidnap the Kazekage?" she questioned, pulling him out of his thoughts. That startled him a bit. She didn't know why they'd done it? That could mean one of two things. Either no one in Sunagakure had been able to find out why they had attacked, or, if they had, it was information that they weren't sharing with their ninja.

"You know that he is the host of the One-Tailed Beast?" Deidara said at last, glancing over at her, but not moving from his position.

Mika nodded. "Of course. Everyone in the village knows that."

"We are gathering all nine of the Jinchuuriki, extracting the Tailed Beasts from within them, and sealing the Beasts away. Once we have all nine, we'll be able to take the lands for our own, un," he explained.

So, that was it. She had thought the Kazekage had seemed different when he'd come back. Now she understood why. The One-Tail within him was gone. "How many of them have you sealed?"

"Only one for now. It's difficult to capture them. The hosts have to be on the brink of death for the extraction to be successful. But if they die, we lose the Tailed Beasts within them. It's a very fine line. Not to mention that the sealing itself takes three days, at least. Each of us has been ordered to capture one. I was planning to take the Nine-Tails Jinchuuriki, too, when he came for that sand brat, but my plans were interrupted by Master Sasori's death, un," Deidara told her.

"And…the hosts? What happens to them when the Beasts are extracted?" She had a nasty feeling she already knew, but she wanted her suspicions to be confirmed. Still, something about it didn't make sense…

"They die, un," he said bluntly.

Mika's brow furrowed. Just as she'd thought. Although, how could that be? It just didn't add up. The Kazekage was... So, _that_ was what had happened. Elder Chiyo must have given her life in that Jutsu, to resurrect him. The retrieval squad and the Konoha ninja had only told them that Gaara had been severely injured battling Akatsuki, but had been healed by Elder Chiyo, ultimately at the cost of her life. They never clarified how she had died. This meant that she and the other ninja had been lied to. Elder Chiyo hadn't died from the wounds that Sasori had given her. She'd died bringing Gaara back to life.

Unsettled, she decided to change topics. "I don't understand something. If you're no longer part of your village, why do you still wear your forehead protector?" she asked.

Deidara stood up and scanned the landscape. They were getting close to the cave where Sasori had been killed; he could see the river in the distance. Turning his attention back to her, he thought about her question for a moment - why did she want to know so much about him, anyway? "I don't know that everyone else's reason is the same as mine, but I keep my forehead protector because I am proud of defecting, un. I wear the slash through the symbol more proudly than I ever wore the symbol by itself." He glanced down at her. "What about you? You still wear your forehead protector, even though you defected against your will. I would think that reminder would be painful."

"I still wear it because..." she trailed off. Why _did_ she still wear it? If anyone from her village were to find her and see that mark through the symbol, she would be in deep trouble. Even if she wore the cloak, as long as her forehead protector was intact, she might still be able to talk her way out of trouble. Finally, she gave the simplest answer: "I still wear it because I'm used to it. Ever since I graduated from the Academy, I've always worn it. To take it off now... It would be like a part of me is missing, you know? When you've worn something for six years, if you ever take it off, it's almost like losing a part of yourself."

Deidara widened his stance slightly for balance, and Mika felt the bird begin to descend. Taking a deep breath, she peered over the side. The remains of the cave were right beneath them, and somewhere inside was Sasori's ring. They just had to find it.

Mika's eyes closed tightly, and she clenched her teeth. Though the descent was smooth, it was fast, making her feel slightly dizzy. How Deidara could keep his balance was beyond her understanding. Not that she could think of much at the moment besides getting back on the ground.

Almost before the bird had stopped, hovering a few feet above the river that flowed swiftly below, Deidara jumped off of it and stood in front of the cave.

Mika was somewhat slower following him. Her legs felt like rubber, and as soon as her feet touched the water, her knees buckled. She managed to adjust her chakra flow in time to keep her from going beneath the surface, but she couldn't stop the fall.

Deidara turned to look at her, and at first she thought he was going to laugh at her. But, to her surprise, he simply walked over and wrapped one hand around her elbow, pulling her to her feet. He kept his hold on her as she swayed unsteadily for a moment, then caught her balance.

"Thank you," she said quietly, taken off-guard by his actions. Deidara removed his hand and nodded once, silently.

Going to the mouth of the cave, he turned to look at Mika. "Ready?" he asked.

She nodded once, and they stepped into the ruins of the cave.


	13. Chapter 5 Rewritten: Testing the Waters

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any related characters. No money is made from the writing of this story.

* * *

Deidara was shocked to see what had become of the cave that they had used as a base to seal the One-Tail. All that was left of it was a rocky arch that had once been the entrance. The rest had caved in from the intense battle that had taken place.

He looked around, his eye narrowed. There were dried blood spatters everywhere; some mixed with a thick purple liquid which he instantly recognized as the unique poison Sasori favored, and he could see bits and pieces of smashed puppets. Some of them, he noticed, were Sasori's, but many, from what he could tell, were unfamiliar. Had Sasori collected more puppets than he originally thought? Going over to one of them, he nudged it with his foot. No, the signature red scorpion was missing. These must belong to that old hag. His gaze stopped on the back wall, and he walked forward slowly.

"Master Sasori..." he said quietly.

Mika looked over at him in surprise. She followed his gaze to see a figure cloaked in brown pinned to the wall by what looked like the head of some kind of giant animal. But something was wrong. Taking a couple of steps closer, she saw what was so strange. The figure was a puppet. As she drew closer, she could make out its features. Short red hair peeked out from beneath the cloak-like piece of fabric he wore. She could see the joints connected to his body, and a large circular hole in the left side of his chest. His eyes were nothing but empty holes. This was Sasori? His appearance fit with the description of him she had been given in the village, but... He had left Sunagakure twenty years ago. This boy looked no older than fifteen. And then there was the fact that Sasori had been human.

"_That's_ Sasori? But how-?"

"He turned himself into a puppet, un. I told you before that Master Sasori believed that art should be eternal. He didn't want to grow old, so he changed himself into one of his art pieces. Being a puppet also helped him in battle. Do you see that?" He pointed to the hole in the puppet's chest. "That was where his heart was. No matter how many times his body was injured, as long as his heart was intact, he would remain unharmed," Deidara explained.

For a moment, Mika saw something that she swore was sadness flash across his face, but before she could get a better look, it disappeared, leaving him impassive once more.

Deidara walked towards Sasori, his face devoid of any emotion. He looked at the odd puppet head that had clamped its teeth around Sasori's body. Quickly, he took the ring from Sasori's thumb, then turned back to Mika. He handed it to her. "Hold on to this. There's something I have to do."

Mika looked down at the ring. It was identical to Deidara's except for one thing. Inscribed into the middle was the character for 'jewel'. Looking back up again, she watched as Deidara picked his way carefully around the perimeter of the cave. He was placing a lump of clay every few feet. She vaguely noticed that they were shaped like scorpions.

"What are you doing?" she asked as he placed the last pieces of clay down and came back to her.

"Setting up a grave, un," he replied. "Let's go." Outside, the bird hovered a couple of feet above the surface of the water. He went over to it and leapt up onto its back, Mika right behind him. Almost immediately, the bird rose several hundred feet into the air, making the bottom of Mika's stomach drop out. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms tightly around Deidara's waist, holding onto him.

Deidara formed one more seal and held it, looking down at the destroyed cave. Mika recognized it as the seal he had made when he detonated the small bomb he'd used to knock her unconscious just before he captured her. "It's the least I can do for Master Sasori. This way, no one will disturb him. _Katsu_!"

The explosion sent a rippling shockwave through the air, making the bird tremble beneath them. Rocks crushed to pieces by the blast rained down, disappearing into a cloud of dust. When the cloud settled, there was no trace of Sasori or the cave. There was only a crater left, filled with rubble.

Deidara looked over at her. Strangely enough, he didn't seem to notice the deathgrip she currently had on him. "Do you have the ring?" Mika pried one of her hands out from around him, holding it up. In her palm rested the ring. But instead of taking it, he merely shook his head. "Hold on to it. If Leader doesn't want it back, it'll be yours, un."

Mika looked down at it, then slipped it into the pouch at her waist. Slowly, she released the hold she had on him. She sat back, propping herself up with her hands. "So what do we do now?" she asked, her voice still slightly shaky.

"We go back to the base and wait for Zetsu to bring us a new mission from Leader. It won't take long; we have to find and capture the Tailed Beasts as soon as we can." He sat down a short distance away, propping his arm up on one bent knee.

"That was easier than I thought it would be," Mika said, half to herself. "I wonder why they didn't take Sasori back to the village. He's a missing-nin, and one with unusual qualities. You would think the medics would want to study him."

Deidara shrugged one shoulder. "It's a good thing they didn't take him back. Leader said we had to get that ring, even if it meant a second invasion, un."

Mika glanced over at him, arching one eyebrow. "But you were badly injured in the first one, and Sasori was ultimately killed. Can you handle a second, now that the village's security is even higher?" Besides that, she wasn't sure she was ready to return to the village, especially as an enemy. The thought of having to injure, probably even kill, ninja she had grown up with made her feel sick.

A wicked grin spread across his face. "I wouldn't be fighting them this time. We'd use two teams. I would let Hidan and Kakuzu handle the opposition, while I went for the ring. Those two are the most efficient team in Akatsuki."

"How so?"

Deidara looked over at her, and she could see dark amusement in his eye. "Hidan is immortal, and Kakuzu can be fatally wounded up to four times and not have to worry about dying. Besides that, they both love fighting. No one can stand up to them when they get serious."

Mika's eyes widened. "Immortal? But that's...impossible. There's no such thing as immortality."

"There's at least one way to gain it, and Hidan found it. Of course, it involves regular human sacrifices, but that's a small price to pay for never dying, don't you think?"

A lump formed in her throat. So that was the secret to immortality. The spilling of innocent blood. That knowledge made her stomach turn. As a ninja, she was accustomed to taking the lives of others, but only her enemies. Never an innocent. The very thought of killing in cold blood sent a chill up her spine. How could anyone be so heartless as to do something like that? To be a ninja, she'd had to kill of a part of her emotions, and even then, it was still difficult to take a life. What kind of monster _was_ this Hidan? Even if the reward was immortality, it was still too high of a price.

She realized then that, regardless of how kind Deidara seemed sometimes, the members of Akatsuki really _were_ criminals. What had she been dragged into?

* * *

Mika jumped to the ground outside of the base, managing to keep her footing this time. She looked over at Deidara, who had shrank the bird back down and returned it to the pouch at his waist.

He unsealed the door of the base and disappeared inside. Mika followed slowly, letting her eyes become adjusted to the dim light. Suddenly, her neck began to prickle, and she froze, her hand instinctively moving towards the shuriken holster strapped to her leg. _Someone was watching her_. Looking around, she met a cool red-violet gaze. It belonged to a young man with short silver hair that was slicked back. He was sitting in one of the chairs at the table, leaned back in it with his arms crossed. Around his neck was a forehead protector with the symbol of Yugakure. It took her a moment to recognize it; that was a symbol that she hadn't seen in a long time. From there, her eyes were drawn to the necklace he wore: a circumscribed triangle within a circle.

Sitting two chairs down from him was another figure. She couldn't tell much about him; his dark face was mainly obscured by a black mask. His eyes, however, were chilling. The irises were a florescent green, and around the iris, instead of white, the color was dark red. His forehead protector bore the symbol of Takigakure.

Deidara went over to the table and took a seat across from the one that was still watching Mika. With a sigh, he stretched out his legs, closing his eye.

"Who the hell is she?" The silence was broken by a voice that carried a hint of annoyance, and more than a little arrogance. The red-violet gaze flickered over her forehead protector, then her cloak. "We have a new member, huh?"

"Yes. She's taking Master Sasori's place as my partner, un." He looked back at her. "Mika, come over here and meet Hidan and Kakuzu."

Mika's back stiffened as she looked at Hidan. _This_ was the immortal? That would explain the strange chill that was emanating from him… Slowly, stiffly, she walked over to the table and sat down beside Deidara.

"Five days since Sasori was killed and you've already found a replacement. You sure move damn fast." Hidan leaned back in his chair and propped his feet up on the table, arching one silver eyebrow in what Mika thought was amusement.

Deidara looked up at him, brief irritation flaring in his gaze. "You know as well as I do that we can't afford to lose any more members at this point. Everyone is needed now that we're capturing the Tailed Beasts, un."

"And what makes you think she'll be good enough to be a member? Have you even tested her yet? She'll probably get herself killed her first time out." This deep voice came from Kakuzu. Mika looked over at him, silent. Something about him told her to keep her mouth shut; he was dangerous.

"She's a medic. No one else knows how to heal, and we're going to be entering dangerous times. We'll need her," Deidara responded, crossing his arms.

Mika leaned forward and put her head on the table, expecting another stinging retort at her expense. A moment later, however, she heard Deidara stand up.

"Come on, let's go put the ring up, un," he said to her. He wanted to get her away from Hidan and Kakuzu before she said something that she would regret. Knowing her, eventually, one of them would say something that would touch on her pride, and retaliation, with these two, could be fatal.

Raising her head, Mika looked at him for a moment, then got up to follow him back to his hall. As she walked, she looked back over her shoulder towards the anteroom. Those two gave her the chills. Being immortal, it was just...unnatural. It was a relief to be able to get away from them. Despite what Deidara thought, she had no intention of starting a fight. Normally, she would have argued back, defending herself. But in this case, the wise choice was to keep quiet.

Deidara opened the door to his room and stepped aside, letting her enter first. Following behind her, he closed the door, then locked it behind them. He had waited long enough. She was getting comfortable around him now, and he needed to put his plans into action before they were sent out on their next mission. If he was careful – extremely careful – he would be able to get away with what he was planning to do.

Mika froze when she heard the lock click. Turning, she narrowed her eyes at him. "What are you doing?" She was almost certain that she knew… But he wouldn't do something like that, would he? Sure, he had kissed her once, but he hadn't shown any interest in her after that. Her imagination was just running away with her. There could be a dozen reasons why he'd locked the door.

Going over to the bed, he unsnapped the buttons on his cloak, then took it off. "Just making sure we won't be disturbed, un."

"What should I do with the ring?" she asked, her mouth going dry at his words. She already knew what he would say, but she needed something to distract herself, and talking was the best way to do that.

"Hold on to it. That was just an excuse to get out of there. Given a few more minutes, Hidan would have said something you wouldn't have liked. He's never been one for subtlety." Deidara stepped closer to her, and reached out with one hand to slowly unbutton her cloak. Once that was done, he took her chin in one hand, holding her still. Leaning forward, he pressed his lips to hers in a soft kiss.

This kiss was different from the first one. Before, it had lasted only a moment; he had been testing her, seeing if she would let him get away with it. But now, he wanted to go further; to see exactly how far she would let him go. He was determined to bind her to him; that way, he wouldn't have to worry about her betraying them. She wouldn't give away someone she was tied to. Or at least, that was what he told himself. That was the only reason he was doing this.

Without breaking the kiss, he took his hand from her chin and pushed the cloak from her shoulders, letting it fall to the ground.

Mika's heart was racing. Why was he doing this? What should she do? Her body was beginning to heat up, and she felt her will to resist begin to slip away. Why was he having this effect on her? At first, she wanted to push him away; to demand that he keep away from her. But now…

Finally, Deidara pulled away, but instead of stepping completely back, he pulled her shirt off of her left shoulder, exposing the skin beneath. His left arm went around her, pulling her flush against him. He smiled when he felt how fast her heart was beating. It seemed that his plan was working. All this time, he'd known that she hadn't been indifferent to him. The signs were subtle – she might not even have recognized them, herself, but he had.

Leaning forward again, he brushed her hair back off of her shoulder, then latched on to the juncture of her neck and shoulder, sucking lightly on it.

Mika's eyes closed at the feeling of electricity that was beginning to shoot through her body. She felt his teeth scrape lightly across her skin, and a shiver ran up her spine. _That felt wonderful_. Her head tilted to the side to give him better access, and she slowly reached up, wrapping her arms around him.

Deidara pulled away for a moment, a pleased smirk on his face. "You like that, un?" It was more of a statement than a question, and Mika gave a quiet sigh in response, closing her eyes. He kissed her again, tracing her bottom lip with his tongue, demanding entrance.

After a moment's hesitation, she opened her mouth for him, and he slipped inside, exploring slowly. His bangs tickled her face, and she reached up to brush them to the side.

Carefully, his right hand crept underneath her shirt, and he pushed up the thin mesh undershirt she wore. He ran a finger down her spine, making a wave of goosebumps rise on her skin. His hand rose higher on her back, and he came in contact with the bindings she wore beneath her shirt. Stroking a path back down her spine, he broke the kiss and removed his hand from under her shirt, placing it lightly on her hip. Backing up slowly, he pulled her over to the bed and sat down on it, pulling her into his lap.

Mika was trembling slightly; he could feel it. But was she shaking because she was scared, or because of his touch? Well, one way to find out. He didn't think she would ask him to stop; at least not yet. He was being careful not to scare her, watching for the slightest hint that he was pushing her too far.

"Do you want to keep going?" he whispered in her ear, his voice silky.

She was silent for a moment. His words were setting her blood on fire, and she knew that it would only get better if she let him continue. He was seducing her, and the worst part was, she didn't care. "Yes, but..."

"But what?" He leaned forward and began to nibble on her neck, eliciting a soft moan from her.

"I've never...been with anyone before. At least not all the way," she said, almost inaudibly. She had gone as far as it was possible to go, but had never lost her virginity. And even then, it had only been once. But curiosity was getting the best of her; she wanted to know what it would be like with him, but she was unbelievably nervous. How could she let him do something like this? After all that he'd done to her; taking her from her home, locking up, threatening her life… And yet, despite all of that, she was still attracted to him, more than she had ever been to anyone else.

Deidara pulled away, looking at her with an expression close to surprise. "You're a virgin?" She nodded once. Well, this was unexpected…but not necessarily a bad thing. Quite the opposite, in fact. This would be better than he thought. If he was her first, and he did it correctly, they would form a very strong bond. Her loyalty was almost guaranteed, now.

He thought for a second, considering his options. Though it would set things back a little, in the end, it would work to his advantage. But he would have to take things slower than he'd planned; it would now have to be at her pace. If he pushed her too fast, it would shatter any chance he had of forming that bond with her. Still, that wasn't a problem. He would enjoy breaking her down. Soon, she would be begging him to take her.

"I'll tell you what. We'll keep going, but only as far as you're comfortable with. Tell me to stop, and I will, un," he said, brushing a stray lock of hair out of her face; a gesture she found oddly sweet.

She nodded slowly. There was no harm in going just a _little_ further, was there? After all, he'd said that he would stop, if she asked him to. He wouldn't push her beyond what she was willing to let him do. And besides, she'd been alone for a long time. "Okay."

Wrapping one arm around her back, he resituated himself, moving further back on the bed, coming to a stop with his back resting against the wall, and his legs stretched out in front of him. Adjusting his hold on her, he put one of her legs on either side of his hips so that she was straddling him.

This position gave him easy access to her neck…or it would, if her shirt wasn't in the way. He tugged on the material experimentally. It was loose; he would be able to work around it. But the mesh shirt underneath would have to go. It was too tight. Pulling her overshirt to the side, he traced the neckline of the mesh shirt.

"This needs to come off. It's in the way," he told her.

She considered this for a moment, then pulled her arms into the sleeves of her overshirt. With some difficulty, she managed to pull the mesh shirt off without removing the overshirt.

Deidara clenched his teeth. In taking off the shirt, she had been moving her lower body as well, and it was causing a delicious amount of friction between them. The feeling was causing his heartbeat to speed up, and a thrill went through his body. Did she know what she was doing…? Maybe he had been underestimating her this entire time.

Mika froze as she settled back down into his lap. That feeling… She couldn't help but smirk as she felt him press against her inner thighs. So he liked that, did he? Feeling bolder, she leaned forward, resting her left hand on his chest and her right hand on the wall. She kissed him gently, holding it for only an instant, then breaking away and trailing down his neck. Now it was her turn to make him squirm. It was high time she exacted revenge for all that he'd done to her up to this point. She nudged at his neck, making him tilt his head to the side. Finding his pulse point, she began to suck on it gently, tracing patterns on his skin with her tongue.

Deidara's hands came up to rest on her waist, and he sighed in pleasure. She was actually pretty good at that. His grip tightened as she pushed her hips against him, and he inhaled sharply. What had gotten into her? He figured she would be shy, but no. A wicked grin spread across his face. This was going to be fun. Even now, she was determined to fight back against him. Although, if she didn't stop, he wouldn't be able to control himself. His blood was beginning to boil from the treatment she was giving him. He had to stop her; get back in control.

Pushing her backwards slightly, he smirked at her. "My turn," he said. He wrapped his arms firmly around her and placed a single kiss on the hollow of her throat. He trailed down, alternately licking and kissing her skin until he came to the top of her bindings, now visible beneath her low-cut shirt.

Mika tilted her head back, closing her eyes and humming quietly in appreciation.

His right hand left her back and trailed slowly up her ribcage. Cautiously, he moved his hand towards her left breast; unsure if she would let him actually touch her. He moved his mouth back to her throat, sucking on the sensitive skin. To his surprise, she let his hand cover her breast and squeeze gently.

She gasped at the feeling, the fingers of one hand digging into his shoulder as a jolt of pleasure shot through her.

After a moment, he leaned to the side, shifting Mika from his lap to the bed. The pressure she was putting on him was driving him crazy, situating her like that had been a bad idea; he should have seen that coming. But he hadn't expected to have such a strong reaction to her…or _any_ reaction, truth be told. He was only doing this to protect himself, and the rest of Akatsuki from betrayal. …right?

Kneeling over her, he put one knee between her legs, and the other on the outside of her right thigh. Now that he had her pinned beneath him, he could continue the exploration of her body. She thought she could toy with him, did she? He would show her that she was wrong. _He_ was the one in control here, not her. She had to learn to play by his rules.

Deidara's right hand rested on her stomach, and he leaned down to nibble on her neck.

Mika's arms went around his shoulders, holding him to her. She found that having her neck kissed was something she enjoyed immensely. Her eyes closed as she felt his hand creep up her body to squeeze her breast once more.

"Why are you doing this?" she whispered breathlessly. She had to know what his purpose was, and why he had seemed almost indifferent to her before now. It was all so sudden.

He raised his head, his hand going back down to her stomach. "You don't like it?" That couldn't possibly be true; her reactions were obvious. She was enjoying what he was doing, even if she wouldn't say it aloud.

She shook her head. "I never said that. I just want to know why." One of her hands slipped from his shoulder and rested over his own hand, assuring him that she wasn't upset, merely curious. Watching him through half-closed eyes, she waited for his answer.

He smirked a little. "I just want to show you that being in Akatsuki has its rewards, un." He silenced any reply she was about to give by kissing her again. It was rough, but not at all unpleasant, and left her body tingling.

Mika froze as she felt his hand begin to trail down over her stomach, towards the apex of her thighs. _No. Not yet._

She gave a soft cry of near-panic as his fingers ghosted over her clothed center; breaking the kiss and bringing her hands up to push him away.

He quickly removed his hand from her body, breaking off all contact with her. It seemed he had gone just a little too far. Damn it all… And she had been enjoying it so much, too. He sat back, watching her silently. What would she do?

She slid off the bed, going over to the door and leaning against it, her arms crossed almost protectively over her body. "I'm sorry, I...I'm just nervous."

Deidara watched her calmly. "It's all right. We can take this slow, un. There's no need to rush. After all, we have all the time in the world."

_Besides, this means that I can play with you a little longer._

She sighed deeply, not meeting his gaze. Things had been going so perfectly. But she hadn't expected him to go that far quite so soon. It had frightened her. "Is there a shower or something I can use? I just...need to be alone for a while, to think things over."

He nodded. "Across the hall, two doors down on the left."

"Thank you." Unlocking the door, she stepped out into the corridor, her brow furrowed and her eyes troubled. Maybe a relaxing shower would help her figure out why she was feeling this way.


	14. Chapter 6 Rewritten: A New Objective

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any related characters. No money is made from the writing of this story.

* * *

Mika opened the door to the shower room and stepped inside. Locking the door behind her - though it would do little good; Deidara had a key - she undressed, folding her clothes up and hanging them on a nearby towel rack. Apart from this towel rack, draped with several thick white towels, and the curtain that provided privacy for whoever was making use of the shower, the room was bare.

She arched one eyebrow. Even though she supposed it made sense for the base to be so empty – after all, why bother to decorate when you were constantly on the move? – she also found it almost unbearably boring. Since she had lived her entire life in Sunagakure, she had become accustomed to the monotonous sandstone buildings, and subdued colors of the desert, but even _they_ seemed decorated compared to this place. Not to mention Sunagakure was brighter. Even with the torches, the base was still shadowed.

Pulling the curtain aside, she turned on the water and, after a few slight adjustments to the temperature, stepped under the flow. She sighed as the hot water ran over her tense muscles. Closing her eyes, she rested her head against the wall, her hair falling forward over her shoulders to hide her face. This wasn't good… Even a hot shower wasn't enough to help her relax.

Unbidden, her mind returned to what had just happened, and her face began to heat up in a blush. Deidara... His touch had set her blood on fire. She could still feel his phantom caresses, each one accompanied by a faint tingle of electricity. She shook her head, then sat down, letting the water pour over her. Her body had reacted to Deidara the way it never had to anyone else. Not even to _him_.

A year or so ago, she had had a lover; a fellow Jounin named Seiji. The rest of her team had been sent out on other missions, and she had decided to spend her time in the hospital, helping the medics. That very first day, Seiji had been brought in after being injured on a mission of his own, and she had been assigned to care for him. Before long, she had realized that she was interested in him. Seiji had been released from the hospital after a week, but he and Mika continued to see each other whenever they could. Before long, a real relationship had developed, and they became lovers.

At first, they spent as much time together as they could; going to restaurants together, or even staying at home and doing nothing but enjoying each other's company. But as time went by, they were kept apart more and more often. They were on separate teams, and missions were becoming more frequent. Slowly, inevitably, they began to drift apart, and they finally decided to end their relationship. She had still seen him occasionally, in the stores, or passing him on the streets, but they were little more than strangers once more. Everything fell apart soon after that.

Just when things were beginning to calm down again, Deidara and Sasori had invaded the village. Many ninja were injured or killed. On top of that, it was discovered that a spy had been in their village the entire time. That alone would have been bad enough, but then they realized who it was; Yuura had been one of the council members.

But the worst part was that the Kazekage had been kidnapped, and his older brother was severely poisoned when he attempted to follow Deidara. No one in the village had enough knowledge to make an antidote for the dying Kankuro, and so the decision was made to ask for help from their ally, Konohagakure. Several ninja were deployed, including a medic who had trained directly under the legendary kunoichi, Tsunade. Almost immediately after she had finished healing Kankuro, she and the others had left to search for Gaara, along with one of the elders, Chiyo, who had a more personal stake in the matter.

A day later, they had come back. The Kazekage seemed unharmed, if a bit different, but Elder Chiyo was dead. They had said that she had been killed getting the Kazekage back, but Deidara had told Mika the truth. She still wasn't certain why they decided not to tell everyone the truth. True, Edo Tensei was a forbidden ninjutsu, but it had saved the Kazekage's life.

The morning of their return, Mika had been excused from hospital duty to go restore what she could of the medicinal herb supply. Shortly after that, Deidara had captured her.

At first, she had been terrified that he was going to kill her. Then, when he had told her that she was going to be his new partner, she had recoiled at the idea. But still, she had marked through her forehead protector after only a slight hesitation, and it wasn't just the threat to her life that made her do it. Sure, she hadn't wanted to die, and she had been desperate to get out of that room, but those hadn't been the only reasons. The truth was, given the chance, she would have left her village sooner.

She had told Deidara that she was loyal, and she was, in that she didn't want anything to happen to her village, or the people who lived there. But she had always hated being under someone else's command. Of course, being in Akatsuki, she was still following orders, but she was beginning to see that she had more freedom. Here, it didn't matter how missions were carried out, as long as they were completed, and what they did in the meantime was entirely up to them.

That fact was one thing – the biggest thing - that had compelled her to stay.

Standing up, she quickly washed herself, then shut off the water and went to retrieve a towel. Thinking about the past certainly wasn't going to get her anywhere. After drying herself off, she redressed, frowning when she realized that she had left her mesh shirt in Deidara's room. This wasn't good. She had been planning to stay in one of the vacant rooms until she'd had a bit more time to think things over. But she couldn't go out dressed like this. She would have to go and get her shirt, even though that meant facing him again. Her heart began to pound when she thought about that.

Suddenly, she slammed her fist against the wall, clenching her teeth. Damn it! He was a _criminal_, not someone she should be attracted to, even if it was just on a physical level! And it _was_ just physical, she told herself firmly. But still...she could still feel his soft kisses on her neck and shoulders, and a shiver ran through her that had nothing to do with the slight chill that seemed to permeate every room in the base. Resting her arm against the wall, she leaned her head on it, closing her eyes. What was she going to do..?

Her head raised as she realized she could sense a chakra signature just outside the door. She frowned. That wasn't good. She had been so distracted that she hadn't even noticed that anyone else was nearby. Some ninja she was. If it had been an enemy, she would be dead right now. But the signature was familiar; Deidara. What did he want? And why was he just standing outside? He had a key; all he had to do was unlock the door and come in.

But even though she waited several more seconds, the door remained closed. How odd. She arched one eyebrow, crossing the room slowly. Unlocking and opening the door, she peered outside, unsure of what to expect. There he was; casually leaning against the wall, her mesh shirt in one hand.

"You forgot this, un," he said, holding it out to her.

Stepping out into the hall, Mika stood a few feet away from him. She studied him carefully for a moment, then took the shirt. Try as she might, she couldn't read any emotion on his face. Whatever his thoughts were, he was being very careful not to let them show in his expression.

"Thank you," she said quietly, holding the shirt to her, covering her chest. Circling warily around him, she returned to his room. He had already come to find her; not going back with him wasn't an option any longer, unfortunately. Upon opening the door, she saw that two plates of food had been placed on the table.

"I thought you might be hungry," Deidara said, following her into the room and closing the door.

She looked back at him, keeping the shirt held tightly against her chest, even though he had already seen her without it once. "Could you turn around for a minute?" she asked.

He raised one eyebrow curiously. "What for?" He just didn't understand it. Why was she choosing now of all times to be shy? Sure, she had refused to take her overshirt off in order to remove the mesh one beneath, but even then, she hadn't hesitated. And besides, she was wearing bindings under the shirt, too. It wasn't like he would be able to see anything. This girl was almost painfully modest.

"_Turn around_," she repeated, more firmly. After a moment in which she thought he was going to refuse, he finally did turn his back, though not without a smile of amusement. Quickly, Mika pulled off her overshirt, draping it over the back of the nearby chair while she put the mesh one on. Once she was fully dressed once more, she glanced back at him. "All right, I'm finished. You can turn back around now."

Deidara turned, a smirk crossing his face. "So you're not comfortable changing in front of others, un," he said. "That's an interesting trait to have. Most ninja don't get embarrassed by something as simple as changing clothes. You'll have to get over that."

Mika narrowed her eyes at him, but instead of anger, all that was reflected in her gaze was friendly annoyance. "Oh, be quiet." What did it matter to him if she had a little modesty? She was the one that would have to deal with that, not him. Shaking her head, she made her way over to the table and sat down.

Deidara smiled at this. So she still felt comfortable enough with him to joke around, huh? Judging by the way she had been behaving around him when she had finished with her shower, he had thought she was afraid to be near him now. But this was a good thing. It meant he wouldn't have to try and build up her trust from scratch. Of course, he wasn't naïve enough to think that she was anywhere near trusting him completely - that was still a long way off - but it also meant that he hadn't gone so far as to completely shatter what trust she did have in him.

He could work with that; he would just have to keep building it up little by little, until he was able to reach his ultimate goal. He regarded her thoughtfully as she sat down at the table, crossing one leg over the other and propping her head up in one hand. She had actually let him go a lot further than he thought she would. She may have still been a virgin, but it seemed she wasn't _completely _new to this. That would shorten the time he would have to take to break her down. If she was totally untouched it might take weeks; even months if she was shy.

But now, he could probably do it within a few days, if he played his cards right. Maybe even less, if he was extremely lucky. It wouldn't be too hard, especially once they were sent out on their next mission. He knew that cheap bastard Kakuzu would probably only give them enough money to rent one room a night at any inns they passed by, and that meant they would have no other choice but to share a bed. Normally, the lack of money would have annoyed him, but in this case, he could turn it to his advantage. Yes, she would be his in no time.

Still smiling to himself, he crossed the room, and sat down across from her at the table. Pulling one of the plates of food toward him, he gestured to the other. "Eat."

Mika took the other plate, poking at the food that was on it. After a moment, she began to eat. She hadn't realized how hungry she was until she took the first bite, even though the food wasn't exactly what she would call top quality. Still, it was edible, and it filled her up.

Deidara watched her carefully as they ate. Finally, he broke the silence. "Zetsu should be coming soon, to take a report of our mission back to Leader. He'll probably give us another mission while he's here, un."

Mika swallowed her bite of food. "What kind of missions do you do, anyway?" Other than the sealings of the Tailed Beasts, she realized that she actually didn't know what it was that Akatsuki did. Deidara had never explained it to her.

"The obvious: scouting the locations of the Tailed Beasts. They're harder to track down than you'd think," he told her, eating the last bite of food on his plate, and pushing it aside. "But we also do routine missions; reconnaissance of the villages. Those of us in the inner circle - the nine of us - don't actually enter the villages, though. It's too dangerous for us, especially now that we've made ourselves known. Instead, we have agents in every village who report back to us every so often."

She nodded. "I guess after your invasion the other day, _everyone_ knows about you. As for the spies, it's perfect. No one knew about Yuura until the damage was already done." She leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms and frowning thoughtfully. If the spies were so well-hidden, then… "How many are there in Sunagakure?"

"Just one, now that Master Sasori's little pet was killed, un."

Mika's back stiffened. "There's another one? Who?" What if it was someone she knew? All this time, she could have been working side by side with an Akatsuki agent, and never even known it, especially if his – her? - acting was as flawless as Yuura's had been.

Deidara looked up at her, his gaze calculating. She was still worried about her village? This really didn't come as a surprise, but it _did_ worry him a little. If Pein found out, and thought she was likely to betray them, he would kill her. "I don't know his name. Unlike the other one, who was chosen by Master Sasori, Leader was the one who dispatched him. The only ones I know are the ones in my own village. We keep tabs on those from our home villages. Master Sasori would have known him, but I don't."

"Then who keeps up with the spies from other villages? The ones that don't have a representative in the inner circle?"

"Leader does, un."

She frowned. If there were agents in every land, that would be far too many for even nine people to keep up with, especially assuming there was more than one spy in each village. "One person keeps track of all-?"

Deidara cut her off with a raised hand. "Not one. Six."

This made her pause in confusion. "_Six_? I thought you said that there were only nine members of the inner circle. What about the other five that I met? Besides, your – _our_ - leader is only one person."

He shook his head. "Leader has six different bodies, each one with different abilities. They're known as "the Six Paths of Pein". He has a kekkei genkai similar to Itachi's; one that manifests itself through the eyes; a doujutsu. It's called the Rinnegan. It allows him to harness all five chakra types. He can also see whatever the other five paths see. In essence, he can be in six places at once."

"He sounds powerful," Mika said thoughtfully. Of course, all the members of Akatsuki had to be powerful, if they wanted to survive. But this man… She had never heard of anyone who was able to master all five chakra types. Even the best Jounin in the village could only use three, and that was after training for years.

"With access to all five chakra types, and the most powerful doujutsu at his disposal, I'm sure he is. His partner, Konan, is the only one who's ever seen him fight, so I don't know how formidable of an opponent he is. But if he founded Akatsuki, he has to be fairly strong, un," Deidara told her, stretching as he leaned back in his chair.

"So where is he? I've met everyone except for him and his partner," Mika said after a thoughtful silence, finishing up her own meal.

"He stays in his home village, Amegakure, with Konan and Zetsu, who relays our missions for him."

"Will I ever get to meet him?" She stood up and went over to the bed, stretching out on it with her hands behind her head. Her meal had made her a bit drowsy.

Deidara turned to watch her. "I doubt it. Not in person, at least. The only way we ever get a chance to see him is if we go to Amegakure, or when we seal a Tailed Beast. Even during a sealing, it's a hologram of him, not his real body, un."

This caused Mika to look over at him curiously. "What do you mean by a hologram?"

"It's simply a projection jutsu we use for convenience. Whenever one of us captures a Jinchuuriki, we take it to the nearest base. Since most of us are usually scattered over the lands, and too far away to go there ourselves, we project our images to the base using that jutsu. That allows us to help with the sealing without physically being there."

Rising out of his chair, he followed her and sat down beside her, being careful not to sit too close. It was time that he found out the truth, before she actually _did_ meet Pein. "Why did you stay here? And I want the truth this time. I know it wasn't just because you didn't want to die." He leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms and waiting for her reply.

"Despite what you may think, I _am_ loyal to my village. I left because I wanted freedom. When I was still there, I had to do whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted. I can't handle that. I want independence. Here, I have that. True, I may still have to go on missions, but...in between them, and even during them, I'm free."

Deidara nodded once. "Freedom is something most ninja aren't allowed to have. I can understand wanting more of it, un. But I want you to listen closely. If you don't want to be killed, you can't let anyone else know about this. If the others think your loyalty to us is in question, they won't hesitate to destroy that threat. Do you understand?"

Mika propped herself up on her elbows, watching him. The way he phrased that made it clear that _he_ wasn't the one who would be killing her, but that didn't mean that she was safe. Still, what he was asking of her… Well, she wasn't planning on returning to her village, so they didn't have to worry about her betraying them. "I understand." Although, that didn't necessarily mean that she was completely loyal to _them_, either. Ah, well. They didn't have to know that.

She held up a single finger, telling him that she wasn't finished speaking. "But, even though I'm not part of Sunagakure anymore, I don't want anything to happen to those I care about. I need to know who that spy is," she told him. "That's the whole point of him being there, right? So we'll know what's going on there without putting our lives in danger." That way, she could occasionally check in to make sure everything was how she left it.

"You'll find out soon enough. Now that Master Sasori is dead, that spy will be your responsibility, un. You'll learn who he is when it's time for his next report."

There was a sudden sharp knock on the door, and Deidara slid off the bed, crossing the room. Upon opening the door, he found an irritated Hidan standing outside.

"Get your ass to the anteroom. Zetsu is here," he said, then turned to leave, not giving Deidara a chance to respond.

"It's time for our next mission, un," Deidara said over his shoulder to Mika. He came back to the bed and grabbed his discarded cloak, putting it on.

Mika stood up, retrieving her own cloak. She went over to him, buttoning up the cloak as she went.

Closing the door behind them, Deidara led the way into the anteroom.

Hidan and Kakuzu were already seated on one side of the table. Zetsu sat in the first chair on the other side. But someone else was there, too. At the head of the table was...

"Pein," Deidara said quietly. "That's the projection I was telling you about earlier, un," he whispered to Mika.

The shadowy figure stood up from the table, and Mika got a good look at him. It was almost impossible to tell anything about him, though; all she could tell from his silhouette was that he had short spiky hair, and his eyes... This was the Rinnegan? His eyes were composed of dark rings, but apart from those, his eyes were a solid mix of light purple and silver, with no distinction between iris and sclera.

"So this is the one you chose to replace Sasori?" Pein asked. His voice was distorted from the projection, though calm. He glanced at her forehead protector. "You already converted her. What was offered in return for her loyalty?"

Deidara was about to respond, but Mika cut him off. "I wasn't offered anything. I joined because I wanted to." She ignored the warning nudge Deidara gave her.

From behind Pein, Hidan gave a short bark of laughter. "Like hell. He kidnapped you. There's no way you would just decide to join us. Why did you do it?"

Mika turned her head slightly to look at him. "There are no rules here. I like living the way I want to, not how someone else thinks I should. You can understand that, can't you?" Her voice was icy as she spoke, which made the immortal smirk.

"Well, at least you have a damn strong will. We'll see how long you last, though. I don't think you have what it takes. You were dragged into this unwillingly. To be a member, you have to be able to fucking kill those that stand in your way. Can you do that?" He was baiting her; seeing how far he could push her before she snapped. And unlike before, this time, it was working.

She took a step towards him, but was stopped by Deidara's hand closing around her wrist.

"That's enough, Hidan," Pein said. "We'll get a chance to see if she'll betray us or not." He turned his attention back to Mika. "You retrieved the ring, I trust?"

Mika pulled her wrist out of Deidara's grasp and reached into the pouch at her waist, pulling out the ring and holding it up.

"If you succeed in your test, you will wear it on your left thumb. You will then be our representative from Sunagakure." He looked back at Zetsu. "Be sure to give them their missions before you return." With an electric crackle, the projection flickered and vanished.

"Hidan and Kakuzu, you will go to the villages in the east. Itachi and Kisame are already in the north." Zetsu stood up and turned to look at Deidara and Mika. "You will look in the west. If you find any clues to the whereabouts of the Tailed Beasts, report back to Pein through a projection. Only the One-Tail has been sealed so far. Now we need to focus on the Two-Tail. If you find its Jinchuuriki, or the Beast itself if it doesn't have a host, bring it to the nearest base, and summon us. If you find any other Beast, pinpoint its location, but do not go after it."

Behind him, Mika noticed Hidan was nodding at Zetsu's words. It seemed he had heard this before. Zetsu was probably only repeating the details for Mika's benefit.

But still, something was bothering her. _West_. That meant they would be coming close to Sunagakure. It was going to be a test, to see if she would betray them. Was that what Pein had been talking about…?

Hidan looked up at her, dark satisfaction dancing in his red-violet eyes. He knew she didn't like him, and he was having fun tormenting her. He knew that Pein would make her and Deidara search in the west; and he only wished he could be there to watch her struggle against her instincts to return to her home. This girl was interesting; she had a fiery temper, just like him. If he could just get her to overlook his rituals, they could probably be friends.

"Do you understand?" Zetsu's black half asked, looking at Mika, who nodded once. "Good. But before you go, there is one must thing you must do. It's time for your test."

The white half piped up, then. "To prove that you're talented enough to be accepted as a member, you have to go through a short survival exercise." He turned slightly, looking over at Hidan and Kakuzu.

"Your opponent will be Kakuzu. If you can survive for twenty-four hours, you'll be welcomed as a full member."

The dark-skinned man growled softly. "I'd rather not. I see no benefit in this for us. She isn't even skilled enough to have a bounty on her head. What's the use in keeping her here?"

Zetsu's response was cut off by a snort of amusement from Hidan. "That's just like you, Kakuzu. Too lazy to get up off your old ass and do what you're told."

The immortal didn't even flinch as he was fixed with an intense green stare. "Shut up, Hidan. You have no room to talk about following orders. As I recall, when we were summoned, you initially refused, saying you had better things to do?"

Hidan nodded. "And I did. I was having fun playing with that guy. It's a damn shame I had to end the ceremony early…" He sighed melodramatically, looking at the ceiling for a moment before turning his gaze back to Zetsu. "Well, if Kakuzu doesn't want to do it, _I'll_ test her. As long as I can use her in the ceremony when she fails. That's fair, right? You won't have any use for her as a member, so it won't be any real loss. Leader will want to kill her anyway. Why let a perfectly good sacrifice go to waste?"

Mika felt a chill go up her spine, despite the anger she had felt towards Hidan only moments ago. He wanted to use her in this ritual of his? She swallowed hard. Now she _had_ to win.

Zetsu considered this for a moment. At last, the black half spoke. "Very well. You may be the one to test her. But you're forbidden from inflicting any injures that might interfere with the upcoming mission. Do you understand?"

Hidan scowled, muttering to himself. "Tch, whatever. Suck all the fun out of everything, why don't you? Creepy bastard…"

Ignoring this, Zetsu turned his head to look at Mika. "Your test will begin at dawn. Fail, and you forfeit your life." Without another word, the leaves around his body slowly closed, and he sank into the floor.

Deidara sighed, shaking his head. This was _not_ good. Hidan was by far the most bloodthirsty member of Akatsuki. Up against him, Mika didn't stand a chance. Twenty-four hours… What was Leader up to? That was a long time for her to try and survive. Even against Kakuzu, who should have been her opponent, the odds of her coming out of it alive were slim to none. Kakuzu was nothing if not efficient. He would have eventually slaughtered her. Why not put her up against someone like Kisame, who was a bit more laid-back? True, they would have had to wait until he and Itachi came back to the base, but…

Well, standing around here wasn't going to give him any more answers. He gestured to Mika. "Let's go. If you're going to do this, you'll need to be well rested."

Mika, who had been growing steadily whiter as the blood drained from her face, jumped at the sound of Deidara's voice. "What…? Oh, right. Rest." Yeah, as if she was going to be getting any rest _now_. She was as good as dead.


	15. Chapter 7: Mika's Test Part 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any related characters. No money is made from the writing of this story.

* * *

The sky was just beginning to brighten in the east when Mika made her way out of the base, Deidara close behind her. Every sense was on high alert, and she was wound tighter than a spring. She'd had all of two hours of sleep the night before, but far from feeling tired, she was full of energy. The fear that she had felt before had all but vanished, to be replaced with determination. There was no way she was going to lose.

She moved away from the cliff where the base was hidden, stopping when she reached the treeline. Although the air was cool, she had chosen not to wear her cloak. Moving in it was still awkward, and she would need every ounce of her agility today.

Kneeling down, she unstrapped the small pouch from her waist, opening it and dumping out its contents. Her shuriken holster soon followed. Carefully spreading out her equipment, she looked it over. Eight kunai, twelve shuriken… Picking up one of the metal knives, she tested its edge against her finger, smiling when she drew a small drop of blood. One thing she prided herself on was taking excellent care of her equipment; a habit she had picked up as a medic.

She also had two scrolls, one blank, and one decorated with a complex pattern recognizable as a summoning spell. Along with these were several explosive tags, which she set aside out of the way. Picking up a spool of thin metal wire, she unraveled several inches of it, tugging on it to test its strength. Her eyes fell on the last item, a small glass jar with a cork stopper. It was filled with tiny black pills.

Frowning, she held up the jar, shaking it and listening to the pills rattle around inside. Even though she detested using them, she knew that she would probably have to resort to taking at least one before this test was over.

She would have to be very careful in how she did this. Although she didn't plan to spend all twenty-four hours running and hiding, she also couldn't afford to waste all of her energy attacking, either. She would have to wait for the precise moment to strike…

Probably the worst part about this was that she didn't know that much about Hidan's battle style. That put her at a disadvantage. Narrowing her eyes, she began to repack her equipment, straightening as she saw movement out of the corner of her eye.

Deidara had now been joined by Hidan, and to her surprise, Kakuzu. What was he doing here? She hadn't thought he would be interested in watching this, given his reaction to Zetsu's words the day before. But then, there was a difference between watching and actually participating.

She watched as the tall missing-nin said something to Deidara, though she was too far away to hear what was being said. Deidara nodded, then gestured to Mika. It was time to begin.

As she drew closer, she glanced over at Hidan, who had a bored expression on his face. He had brought his signature triple-bladed scythe with him, she saw. Up close, she could see that each crimson blade was made of solid metal. That meant that it was probably heavy… In the dense forest, it would be difficult for him to use it, even if it was attached to a thick cable.

"I'm sure you've had training exercises like this in your village. This one won't be that different. You'll have twenty-four hours to do everything you can to keep yourself alive, un," Deidara explained. "However, it'll be different in that-"

"You'll be trying to kill me," Hidan interrupted, a wicked smile coming to his face. "Try as many times as you can, if you're not too much of a fucking coward. I don't care what you do." He chuckled. "It won't make a difference, anyway. I won't die, no matter how many times you try."

Kakuzu looked over at him. "Don't be so arrogant, Hidan. You _will _get yourself killed one of these days."

Hidan irritably waved him off. "Yeah, yeah. You say that all the time, and it hasn't happened. Now, don't fucking interrupt."

Ignoring their bickering, Deidara continued the explanation. "Your skill level will be determined by how many times you can injure Hidan, and how many wounds you can avoid taking yourself." He glanced over at Hidan. "Now, he's been forbidden from causing you any serious harm, but treat every wound as if it would be fatal. Do you understand?" His voice was calm enough, even indifferent, but Mika thought she could see worry in his uncovered eye. He knew that Hidan had always rebelled against orders, especially in matters such as this. He would do almost anything to ensure that his twisted god received a sacrifice.

She nodded. "Yes, I understand." Biting her lip, she turned to look at the forest, studying it. Would she have the advantage? It was hard to say. If she couldn't win with ninjutsu, she had other methods she could resort to… And as long as she kept out of reach of that scythe, she would probably be all right.

Her examination of their battleground was interrupted by Deidara's voice. "You'll be given a thirty-minute head start to set up whatever traps you like, un." He paused for a moment. "Begin!"

Mika vanished in a swirl of smoke. Thirty minutes gave her precious little time, and she didn't intend to waste a moment of it. As she headed deeper into the forest, she formed a series of hand seals, and a pair of shadow clones appeared at her side. She sent one off to her left, and the other to her right, immediately masking her own chakra signature. Okay, there was the bait… Now for the actual trap.

She came to a stop, looking around. Well, this place was as good as any. Kneeling down, she took two kunai out of the pouch at her waist, along with the roll of wire, and three explosive tags. Taking the tags, she placed them on the trunk of a tree directly across the clearing, and carefully concealed them.

Next, she attached one end of the wire to the first kunai, unraveling a length of it. After she'd cut it, she tied the other end to the second kunai. When her preparations were complete, she tossed the first kunai over her head, burying it deeply in the trunk of a tree just to her left. She left the second one where it was, covering it with a layer of grass; if all went as planned, she would be needing it later.

There. That was the best she could do with the time she had been given. She looked everything over one last time, then concealed herself nearby. All she had to do was wait for Hidan to find her…

* * *

"You surprised me, Kakuzu. I didn't think you would want to be here for this, un," Deidara commented, crossing his arms as he waited for Mika's time limit to be up. His gaze was fixed intently on the place where she'd disappeared into the forest, even though he knew it would be impossible to see her in the predawn gloom, even with his scope.

"If it were anyone else, I wouldn't. This test is a waste of time. But I want to see Hidan finally receive his comeuppance. He's been nearly intolerable lately, and a good beating might be just what he needs to humble him."

Hidan growled in annoyance. "Well, aren't you just a fucking ray of sunshine this morning? If you're just gonna bitch about everything, go back inside. This won't take long. Speaking of which…" Picking up his scythe from where he had embedded it in the ground, he twirled it around once, then set off towards the forest. "Hope you aren't too fond of your new partner, Deidara. There won't be much left after I get finished with her!"

As he followed his target into the forest, he immediately turned towards the west, where he sensed her chakra signature. His only regret was that he would have to wait an entire day to begin the ceremony. Even though he liked a good chase, twenty-four hours was entirely too long. Hopefully, it would be worth it. If she really _was_ good enough to deal him a fatal blow, he might actually be able to enjoy this.

It was only a few minutes later that he caught sight of her, perched in the branches of a tall tree. He couldn't stop a smile from spreading across his face. "You're not too bright, are you? If you're just sitting there in plain sight, you obviously _want_ me to make you into a sacrifice. Heh, and here I was hoping that you would give me a good fight…"

Mika barely saw him move. In one swift motion, he had pulled the scythe from his back and sent it flying towards her. It smashed into the branch she was sitting on, leaving her no choice but to leap from it or risk being hit. Her eyes widened in shock. That shouldn't have been possible… That scythe had to weigh a ton. How could he throw it so quickly? And – she glanced at what was left of the branch – so accurately? The blades had sliced through the exact spot where she had been sitting.

Jerking sharply on the cable that was attached to the end of the scythe, he caught its long handle, turning to look over at her. She now stood only a few feet away, halfway concealed behind the trunk of another tree. "That's a little more like it. I was afraid you wouldn't be able to dodge. That would have been pretty fucking pathetic, especially considering that my attacks are the slowest in Akatsuki."

Mika rolled her eyes, though she didn't come out from behind the tree. "Give me _some_ credit. Do you really think I'd just sit still and let you kill me?" Using the concealment that the tree provided her, she reached into the pouch at her waist, making sure not to make any unnecessary motions that would alert him to what she was doing. Carefully, she pulled out a single kunai. Around the hilt was an explosive tag, which she'd attached a few minutes before he'd found her.

Hidan grinned. "It's happened before. Some poor bastards get so scared when they see me coming that they completely freeze up. They're not even worth being made into offerings to Jashin-sama."

Scoffing, Mika shook her head. "What_ever_. Like anyone would be afraid of you." She knew that baiting him was probably a very bad idea, but far from getting angry, he seemed to be enjoying it. That was good. If she could keep him talking, it would buy her some time.

His smile turned downright sadistic, then. "Oh, but they were. I've never heard so much screaming as I did that night. The entire village was stained red… That had to be the best night of my life."

Her eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?

With his free hand, he reached up, tapping the symbol on the forehead protector around his neck. "Didn't you ever wonder what I did to be declared a missing-nin? I killed them. They pissed me off, turning the village into a tourist spot."

For a moment, Mika was confused. What was he…? Then, realization dawned in her eyes, and she swallowed hard. "It was _you_?" She'd heard about what happened to the people who had lived in Yugakure. It had once been a ninja village, albeit a small one. But not long ago, a decision was made that the ninja weren't needed, and so the village was transformed into a tourist spot. Almost immediately afterwards, however, the villagers were all brutally slaughtered by someone. She had never found out who was behind the murders, until now.

His red-violet eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "There it is," he whispered. "That fear I was talking about. I can see it in your eyes."

He started to take a step forward, but Mika stopped him by flinging the kunai she had been holding at him. Automatically, he brought his scythe up to deflect it. His eyes widened in surprise as he saw the exploding tag wrapped around the hilt. "Shit!"

Mika leapt back behind the tree just in time to shield herself from the resulting blast. She knew better than to think that the explosion did very much damage; one tag wasn't enough for that. But she'd had another purpose in doing this. The sound of the tag going off would carry quite a distance through the forest…

She held her breath as she waited for the smoke from the explosion to clear. Had he taken any damage…? Slowly, she peered around the trunk of the tree. The tag had definitely connected with the scythe, and she didn't think the weapon had been enough to completely shield him. But when the smoke had cleared enough for her to see, she realized that he was nowhere to be found.

Her brow furrowed. Had he been using some kind of a clone? It was always possible… So where was he now? She went still, listening hard, but all she could hear was the distant sound of birds singing. A moment later, she heard a sound that turned her blood to ice. He was close; the sound she had heard was his weapon whistling through the air. Just as she started to turn around, the crimson scythe embedded itself into the trunk of the tree, the tip of the bottom blade a mere inch away from her throat.

She didn't dare move, knowing that, if he were to pull on the cable attached to the end of it, the blades would rip through the tree…and her.

Hidan moved slowly over to her, a smile on his face. As he drew closer, she could see singe marks on his face and hands, and the right sleeve of his cloak was tattered. So, he hadn't used a clone after all. He must have shielded himself with his scythe, then leapt away before the smoke cleared.

But this told her something. It seemed that, because of his immortality, he wasn't very concerned with dodging attacks; he would probably just guard himself, if he even bothered to do that. If she could just separate him from his scythe…

As he drew closer, he reached into his cloak, drawing out a thick metal rod several inches long. As she watched, he shook it sharply, and it extended into a pike over two feet in length. He held it up, then rested the tip against the center of her chest. "It would be so damn easy," he whispered, his eyes practically glowing with bloodlust. "Just an inch or two to the right, and the slightest bit of pressure…" He shook his head, drawing the pike upwards until it was against her throat. "But that would be a waste, wouldn't it? I've already promised Jashin-sama that he could have you, once this test is over."

Mika frowned, trying to keep her emotions reined in. Now was not the time to lose her composure. "I don't remember agreeing to this. Who said you could use me for your ceremony?" She refrained from using the words she really wanted to say; she didn't want to antagonize him any more than she already had. At least, not until she was safely out of range of that deadly scythe. If she made him angry enough, he might just forget about using her as an offering and kill her outright. Even though he was forbidden from causing her any serious harm, out here where no one could see them, it would be a simple matter for him to claim that her death had been accidental.

Lightly, he tapped the pike against her throat, letting her feel the sharp point, though he was careful not to cut her…yet. "Didn't you hear Zetsu? If you fail this test, your life is mine. Even if you run from us, it won't do you any good. You know you won't be able to get away."

Looking away, Mika bit her lip, thinking quickly. What could she do…? This wasn't the place for her to confront him. She had to find a way to get away from him, and lead him to the right place. A thought occurred to her, then. It might work, if she was careful.

"So, you're not going to let me run away. I understand. But what if you let me go? You said yourself that you were hoping that I would give you a good fight, isn't that right? So give me a chance. We've just begun… Ending it now would be a waste. You would have gotten up early for nothing. And, more importantly, your god would be disappointed with you, for giving…uh…him? For giving him such a weak offering. Give me a chance to prove that I'm worthy of being in your ceremony."

The words tasted bitter in her mouth; she couldn't believe that she was actually saying this. The thought of willingly letting herself be a part of his ceremony – even if it was only an act - made her feel sick. But it might be the only way for her to convince him to let her go. She only had to play along for a few more seconds…

For a long time, Hidan simply stared at her through narrowed eyes. She began to curse herself; there was no way he would fall for something like that. What had she been thinking? She'd hoped that his devotion to his god would convince him that the wicked entity deserved only the best, but it seemed that – in this case at least – he was willing for settle for what he already had. If he didn't let her go, she would have no other choice but to switch to a different plan and hope it worked as well.

But finally, to her utter shock, he lowered the pike from where it was pressed against her throat. "Hmm, killing you so soon _would_ be a waste. If you're this weak, it might be better to find someone else for the ceremony. But I'll give you one more try. Not that it'll do you much fucking good; you're still dead, either way. But why deny you a few more minutes of life? The fear might be a good thing; for me, at least. It'll make you fight harder in the end."

Mika blinked, unable to believe what she was hearing. It had worked…? Maybe she understood him better than she thought. Slowly, she began to sidle away from him, half expecting some kind of trick. But he made no move to pursue her. Instead, his red-violet eyes watched her as she moved back.

"Get the hell out of here. If you hurry, you just might be able to extend your life by a few more minutes before I catch you again."

Not about to argue, she leapt into the trees, heading deeper into the forest. Everything was going according to plan. Now all she had to do was lead him to the trap she had set. She was grateful that he hadn't tried to attack her yet. If he had, her shadow clone would have been dispelled, and she would have been left without a way to lead him where she needed him to be. She just had to hope that this worked.

* * *

Only fifteen minutes later, Hidan's limited patience ran out, and he jumped up into the nearest tree, strapping his scythe to his back as he did so. He noticed that she was leading him towards the center of the forest; she hadn't deviated from her original path in an attempt to shake him off. That made him frown; she wasn't attempting to hide her presence at all.

As he moved further into the forest, he began to notice something odd. It was getting harder and harder to see. _The Hidden Mist technique?_ He had thought that jutsu was primarily used among Kirigakure ninja, such as Kisame. Why would someone from a village in the middle of the desert use it? But when he looked closer, he realized that it wasn't mist, but rather... So, she had set up a smokescreen. But what was she trying to obscure?

He slackened his pace, wary now of traps. He didn't think that she'd had enough time to set up anything dangerous, even factoring in the thirty minutes at the beginning of the test. But that didn't necessarily mean that she didn't have _something_ waiting for him. The only question was, what – and where – was it? Her linear path made him think that she was leading him into this trap, though he couldn't be entirely sure.

Vaguely, he could make out a shape forming within the smokescreen. His eyes widened; this girl had to be insane. She was simply standing there, waiting for him! He could see her looking around, searching for him. So, she hadn't noticed him yet. Perfect.

He dropped out of the tree he had been standing in, being very careful where he stepped, so he didn't attract her attention. At last, he was just behind her. Pulling out the pike he had attacked with before, he drew it back, then plunged it downward towards her unprotected back.

Before it could connect, she spun around, falling backwards with a gasp of surprise. Her hand closed around the kunai she had concealed on the ground, and she threw it at him. The metal knife flew an inch past his face, embedding itself in the tree behind him.

A laugh emerged from his throat. "You missed. I'm three fucking feet away from you, and you still _miss_." He started to take a step towards her, only to be stopped short by the wire that had been attached to the kunai. His eyes narrowed, and he ran one finger over the thin wire. "So, you weren't aiming at me after all. But if you think this is enough to hold me, you're-"

The rest of his sentence was cut off by an eruption of fire from directly in front of him. But strangely, it hadn't come from Mika. As the small fireballs surged around Hidan, Mika flipped over, scuttling away on her hands and knees, out of reach of the flames. She dove into a bush, just in time to shield herself from the large explosion that resulted from one of the fireballs hitting the concealed explosive tags. It was then that the second part of her plan was put into play. The supposed smokescreen that she had set up hadn't been placed there to conceal her, but to add additional fuel to the fire that resulted from the detonated tags. The flames from the blast ignited the combustible smoke that layered the area, magnifying what would have been an already large explosion, and turning the immediate vicinity into a hellstorm.

Unfortunately, this also posed a great risk to Mika, forcing her to take an extra precaution to protect herself. Not only had she hidden herself behind the trunk of a large tree, her clone had also provided a second shield. She had been the one to execute the Katon jutsu from the safety of her hiding place, and under the cover of the fireballs, her clone had taken the opportunity to get away from Hidan – and the impending blast – and throw herself over the real Mika.

Mika heard Hidan's cry of pain, though it was all but lost in the roar of flames as the explosion consumed the trees nearest the blast. The intense heat was almost unbearable, but she had picked a good place to hide; she was protected here, and she was undamaged by the time the detonation cleared. She dispelled the clone that was with her, and stood up, dusting herself off.

When she first peered around the trunk of the scorched tree, she didn't see Hidan anywhere within the blast radius. Several of the smaller trees had been reduced to ash, and some of the bigger trunks that had survived – though they were now severely blackened - lay scattered across the ground.

It took her several seconds, but she finally spotted him lying facedown in the debris. His cloak had been mostly burned off, and she could see several deep burns on his back and arms. His scythe was clenched tightly in one hand, covered in ash. She knew that he wasn't dead, but he seemed to be unconscious. She could see that his breathing was shallow; his lungs had probably been damaged by the intense heat.

She continued to watch him, but he didn't stir – she figured his body was probably too damaged for him to get up. If it had been anyone else, she would have been worried, but Hidan was immortal. He'd probably endured much worse than this. She had to wonder, though, how did he endure the pain? Having his lungs seared had to be agonizing. For that matter, how long did it take him to heal…?

Shaking her head, she put these thoughts out of her mind. There would be plenty of time to think over these mysteries, preferably when she wasn't right in the middle of a life-or-death test. With one last glance over her shoulder, she turned, vanishing once more into the forest. It seemed she had a bit of time before he could follow her. She would take that time to rest, and plan her next attack.


	16. Chapter 8: Mika's Test Part 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any related characters. No money is made from the writing of this story.

* * *

To say that Hidan had been surprised would be a serious understatement. He had been expecting a trap, just not something like this. This was… Jashin-sama would be very pleased with this particular offering. He hadn't had to fight this hard in quite a while; it was a refreshing change. He only regretted that he had been forbidden to use her in his ritual. He would have loved to watch her suffer the way he was suffering now. Well, that could always come later. For now, he needed to let himself heal. Due to the extent of the damage, it would probably take at least a couple of hours to even be able to move, let alone be in good enough condition to fight.

It was a good thing Kakuzu was back at the base, and hadn't seen the attack. He could just hear that bitchy old bag of bones now…

_You're too cocky, Hidan. I've told you that time after time, and look where it got you. You're so burned up you can't even move. That child turned you into a piece of charcoal. I've told you many times not to underestimate your opponent. There's no such thing as true immortality. One day, you __**will**__ be killed; it's just a matter of time. You walked right into that trap, willingly! What's going to happen when you're injured too severely for your body to heal in time?_

Hidan growled in annoyance – or tried to. His throat was damaged too badly for him to make more than a soft rattle. That bastard didn't know what he was talking about. Jashin-sama wouldn't let a faithful follower die. That had been proven before. Admittedly, this was one of the more serious injuries he'd suffered, but not the worst. This prior experience told him that, though it would take time, he would soon be fine once more.

The only problem was Mika. He knew that she wouldn't leave the forest; it had been decided as their battleground. But would she come to him, or would he have to hunt her down again? She was under a time limit, with how many hits she scored against him proof of her skill. That led him to believe that, if enough time passed, she would come looking for him.

But he had to wonder something. When he was severely injured like this, for some time afterwards, he was defenseless. Why hadn't she taken her opportunity to strike, when he was unable to retaliate? It was the smart thing to do – what any member of Akatsuki would have done. To hell with honor, and giving your opponent a fair chance to defend themselves. Their opponents were usually so strong that any hesitation would mean their death. They had to strike quickly, if they wanted to live. Deidara would have to train that out of her, if she was going to survive long enough to be of any use to them.

His red-violet eyes opened, and he slowly wiggled his fingers. He could still move… But he knew better than to be fooled by that. He could feel the severity of the burns on his body, and knew that he would have to be very careful. It was still very difficult to breathe; that was what worried him the most. The external wounds weren't a problem, but his lungs…

Inch by inch, his hand crept over the ground, until he encountered the metal handle of his scythe. Not for the first time, he was grateful that it was made entirely of metal – even the cable attached to it. Even the intense flames hadn't been enough to damage it. Drawing it closer, he used it to prop himself up, clenching his teeth as his body protested.

He managed to pull himself over to a nearby fallen tree that had survived the explosion, and leaned against it, drawing in a shuddering breath. Tilting his head back, he surveyed the sky, looking for the sun. It was still fairly high in the sky – early afternoon, then. He had time for a short nap, as long as he didn't fall too deeply asleep.

Even though Mika had vanished into the forest, he knew that she might be somewhere nearby, waiting for him to lower his guard. He doubted it, though; why would she distance herself, only to come back a few minutes later? He was virtually helpless - the longer she waited to attack, the stronger he grew. No, he was probably safe.

But he still had to wonder something. What had happened in that attack? It had all happened so quickly… He knew for sure that the Katon jutsu hadn't come from her; it had been beyond the both of them. At first, he'd thought it was a clone. But that couldn't be right. Clones usually didn't use jutsu. So…the one he'd encountered had to have been a clone. No wonder she hadn't seemed very frightened when he'd threatened her. Any harm done to a clone's body didn't transfer over to the original.

So, she must have used the clone to lure him to this spot, where the original had laid the trap for him. But then there was the question of the smokescreen. It had been ignited by the explosion. Not a smokescreen, then, but a type of flammable haze. As much as he hated to admit it, it had been a clever trap – one that would have been fatal to him, had he been mortal.

But despite this, he still had his doubts. Every member of Akatsuki was incredibly powerful. Did she really have what it took? That remained to be seen. One good attack didn't necessarily ensure a victory. She would have to try a bit harder.

Resituating himself – somewhat painfully – he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to gauge how much damage still remained. It was getting a bit easier to breathe now…not much longer. His head lowered as he began to doze. Might as well conserve his strength. He would need it again soon.

* * *

Mika settled into the fork of a large tree, effectively hidden by the dense leaves. Thank goodness the weather was still warm. If it had been autumn or winter, she never would have been able to conceal herself here. Still, she knew better than to just leave it at that. As she had already seen, Hidan could sneak up on her easily, and that was when she had been awake. If she was sleeping… It would be a simple matter for him to kill her.

Before she allowed herself to relax, she had set up a series of tripwires in a perimeter around her resting place, both on the ground, and in the nearby trees. It cost her some of her wire, and the rest of her exploding tags, but it was a sacrifice she had to make. The wire could always be collected later, but the tags… Well, chances were, there would be supplies somewhere in the base. She could restock once her test was finished.

As always, she refused to let any negative thoughts intrude. She had survived this long, and she wasn't about to give in now. Whenever she thought about it, it was always _when_ she passed the test, not _if_. She knew that, if she gave in to doubt, she would fail. Almost a third of her time limit had elapsed already, and she'd managed to inflict a fatal blow on Hidan. Of course, it had taken quite a while, because of the precise timing required in her trap; next time, it would probably be easier. Or at least, she _hoped_ it would be.

She still had at least one trick up her sleeve. But would it be enough? He had a long-range weapon – one that he could wield with great skill. Even though he had said that he was the slowest member of Akatsuki, he was every bit as fast as any enemy she had ever fought. Ordinarily, this would have posed a problem for her. But she had a long-range weapon, too.

Slipping her hand into the pouch at her waist, she wrapped her fingers around one of the scrolls there. It would be easy enough to summon its contents, when the time was right. Still, she had to wonder. Would it be a match against his scythe? She had seen how powerful it was, and the skill with which he used it.

But then, her weapon was a bit different from the norm. It was very possible that she could win this, even if his scythe was technically more powerful in terms of sheer destructive ability.

Removing her hand from the pouch, she laced her fingers together, placing them over her stomach as she tried to get comfortable. Sleeping in a tree wasn't something she liked to do, but in this case, it was necessary. It offered the best protection, thanks to the dense leaves.

A smile came to her face. It had taken her many months before she learned what types of trees were best to sleep in. That had been a very painful system of trial and error… She'd lost count of how many times she had been awakened in the middle of the night to a face full of dirt when she'd accidentally rolled over in her sleep, and fallen from the branch she had chosen as her bed.

Finally, she had learned to choose a tree with a spreading crown, or, failing that, to wedge herself between two thick branches, so she couldn't shift around while she slept.

Once she was satisfied with her position, she closed her eyes, letting her thoughts wander. Now, how to go about bringing Hidan to her, once she had rested? As she didn't know how long she would have until he'd healed enough to come after her, she needed to make a plan that allowed for a margin for error.

The simplest thing to do was to use her second clone to lure him to her, but she doubted he would fall for the same trick twice. That left her with two options. She could either wait for him to find her on his own, and take the chance of an ambush, as well as the risk of having her time cut down as he searched for her. Or, she could hunt him down herself. If she used clones to spread out and search for him, it wouldn't take that long. If she was lucky, he might even be in the place she'd left him. That was unlikely, though. Knowing what she did about him, he would move as soon as he possibly could, if only to finish healing himself in a more protected place.

Yes, that was what she would do. Better to expend a bit of her chakra to find him herself than waste her time waiting for him to come to her. First, though, she needed to rest a bit, so she would have the energy to fight him a second time.

With this decision made, she soon drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

The sun was low in the sky when Mika finally awoke. She had slept longer than she intended – almost half of her time limit had elapsed. Before she even sat up, she looked around, letting her senses extend outward as she searched for any trace of a nearby chakra signature. None of her traps had detonated, but it was always possible that Hidan had found and deactivated them.

But no; she couldn't sense any foreign chakra nearby. She was alone here. Dropping out of the tree, she stretched, yawning. Her body was a bit stiff, but that would soon fade. Now, to put her plan into action. Forming the necessary hand seals, she created four clones. These were a bit different from the shadow clones she had created when she had first begun; these were little more than insubstantial smoke. Although they weren't able to fight, they were perfect for recon, and they used less chakra to create. Her four copies lined up in front of her, silently waiting for her instructions.

"Spread out and do a sweep of the forest. As soon as you find Hidan, release the jutsu on yourselves. That will relay the information back to me. Don't let him see you, and do _not_ confront him. Understand?" As they nodded their agreement, she looked around. "Move quickly, time is of the essence. Go!"

As they vanished into the forest, she retrieved the scroll from the pouch, unrolling it and spreading it open on the ground. Inside was a complex summoning pattern. She pulled out a kunai, pricking her finger. Like any other summon, this required a blood sacrifice. Drawing a thin line across the center of the pattern, she sat back as the scroll activated. There was a puff of smoke, though it soon faded to reveal a black whip coiled neatly in the center of the scroll.

It was longer than normal, and had a sharp metal tip at the end. Inside that tip was a concentrated poison, though like most of the poisons used in Sunagakure, it wasn't immediately fatal. Unfortunately though, she hadn't thought to bring any more of it with her.

Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. Sasori had also been a poison-user… Surely he had left some behind. Perhaps she could convince Deidara to let her borrow a bit. She wouldn't need much, especially if it was as strong as what Sasori had used on Kankuro.

She picked up the whip, keeping it tightly coiled, and being extremely careful not to touch the metal tip. Even she wasn't immune to the poison's effects. When she was first learning to use the whip, it hadn't carried the tip at the end. That modification had come later, once she became accustomed to using the weapon in an unaltered state. But the small poison chamber hadn't been the only change she'd made to it.

Mika stood up, glancing up at the sun once more and tucking the scroll back into the pouch. It was slipping towards the horizon; already, the forest was becoming shadowed. She didn't relish the thought of fighting in the dark. Although it would make it harder for Hidan to score a hit on her, that advantage also worked against her; she would have a hard time seeing him, as well.

At least Hidan's cloak had been mostly destroyed. The dark fabric would have helped him to blend into the shadows. If only she had been more comfortable fighting in her own cloak. She definitely could have used it now. Her own clothes weren't very good for concealment. Even if she removed her overshirt, it wouldn't make much of a difference. The mesh undershirt was silver; too bright, even after sunset.

It wasn't much longer before she felt a tingle within her mind. She concentrated, and then smiled. So that was where he was. Turning towards the northeast, she set off. Through the clone's memories, she had seen Hidan moving slowly through the trees. His breathing was still a bit uneven, and she had seen the lingering burns on his body, though they looked like they were a couple of weeks old now. They were beginning to heal, turning the raw red flesh into pink scars, which would soon disappear, leaving him completely unmarked.

Forming the hand seal that would dispel the other clones, she leapt into the trees. It would be easier to travel this way, as well as faster. As long as she was quiet, Hidan need never know she was there. Masking her chakra signature to the very minimum, she jumped from branch to branch. She wasn't naïve enough to think that she would be able to completely sneak up on him without him noticing her, but masking her signature would allow her to get closer than she otherwise would be able to.

Following the memories the clone had transferred to her, she continued through the trees, closing the distance between herself and her target. Judging from what she had seen, he still couldn't move too quickly; he should be close to the place where the clone had spotted him.

Sure enough, she soon caught sight of him through the trees. He had his scythe in one hand, telling her that his guard wasn't completely lowered, though he probably wasn't expecting an all-out attack.

She crept closer, then dropped out of the tree she had been standing in, landing lightly behind him. Holding her whip at her side, she took a step forward, wary of an attack. Unlike before, she wasn't interested in an ambush. She _wanted_ him to know she was there.

Slowly, Hidan turned around, not making any move to attack her. Instead, a wicked smile came to his face. "You surprised me. I wasn't expecting you to be able to do something like that. But it'll take more than that if you want to win your way into Akatsuki. You have to be prepared to kill, at all times. Can you do that?"

"Of course I can!" Mika snapped, annoyed. "I've proven that once already, and I'll do it again." Holding up her whip, she released part of it, letting it uncoil. Swift as a striking snake, she flicked it towards him. As she expected, he quickly lifted his scythe, blocking her attack. But to his surprise, the whip segmented into hundreds of tiny pieces, each less than a half-inch long. They curled around the blades of his scythe and driving the metal tip towards his chest. This close, he could see a glowing strand of chakra connecting the segments together.

"What the hell?" He leaned back, hoping it would bring him out of reach without needing to drop his scythe. The metal tip came closer…and stopped, a mere centimeter away from his bare chest.

Mika grinned, a smile wicked enough to rival his own. "Do you like it? It's a variation of the Puppet Jutsu exclusive to Sunagakure. By using my chakra to link the segments together, I can control its motion, effectively bringing it to life. Even if you stop part of it, the rest can still strike you."

Hidan clenched his teeth, rotating his scythe around so the blades were rested against the whip. Realizing what he was trying to do, Mika shook her head. "Don't bother trying to sever the links. It won't work. They're reinforced with metal, as well as being strengthened by my chakra."

She took a step forward, and the whip shifted, coiling further around his scythe. His eyes followed the movements, and he realized that she was trying to give it the extra little bit it needed to pierce his chest. Quickly, he released his hold on his weapon, leaping backwards with a hiss of annoyance. That whip didn't look very dangerous… If she could get a good snap to it, it might open up a wound, but other than that, it shouldn't do much damage.

The metal tip, however, worried him. If she could animate the entire length of the whip, she could easily force it through any part of his body. The tip was needle-sharp; it would be a simple matter for it to pierce through him. Of course, even having that driven through his heart wouldn't kill him, but it could be temporarily debilitating, if it did too much damage.

Mika flicked her wrist, pulling the whip back towards her. "I'm going to win this. You might as well just give up now, while you're still able to walk."

This made Hidan laugh. "Like hell. You're going to become Jashin-sama's next sacrifice. It's been a long time since I've been injured this badly. I'm not letting you escape." Reaching down to his waist, he took out one of the pikes she had seen him use before. Instead of moving forward, however, he simply threw it at her.

She ducked to one side, snapping her whip up to knock it away. In that instant, Hidan grabbed his scythe, lunging forward and swinging it at her. Everything happened very quickly, then. There was a ripping of cloth, and blood splattered along the ground. The whip cracked sharply, and Mika and Hidan both leapt backwards away from each other.

A shallow wound had been opened up on Mika's side, stretching horizontally across her ribcage. She still had hold of her whip, and the metal tip had been coated in blood, as well as a couple of drops of a dark violet liquid; the poison chamber within had been opened. It had been designed to unlock when its container came in full contact with the flesh of a target. That way, the poison wouldn't be wasted if she missed. Only a direct hit would break it open.

Hidan stood a short distance away. His scythe was held up in front of him; it also had blood smeared along the tip of the first blade. At first glance, he seemed to be unharmed. This made Mika frown. That couldn't be right. There was blood on her whip, and she was almost certain that it didn't belong to her. So… Then, she saw it. There was a small puncture wound in his lower abdomen, just above the top of his pants.

From this distance, she couldn't tell how deep it was, but it shouldn't make any difference. She could see that it had drawn blood; that meant the poison could get into his body, and work its magic. Idly, she had to wonder… If Hidan was immortal, did that mean that a normally fatal poison would be nullified completely, or would he still feel its effects, minus the eventual death? Probably the latter, she decided. Being immortal didn't make him immune to pain.

As she watched, Hidan raised the scythe, and, to her horror, he licked her blood off the tip of the blade. "It's really a damn shame that I can't use you in the ceremony yet. But that just means we get to play a bit longer." He looked down at himself, noticing the small wound she had inflicted on him. An amused smile came to his face. "That's it? All those brave words about being able to kill, and this was all you could do to me? Pathetic."

Mika's eyes narrowed slightly. So, he didn't realize that he had been poisoned… She was sure that it had entered his body, and that there was enough there for him to feel it. Perhaps it just took him a bit longer. Still, she decided to pretend that nothing was wrong. She didn't want him to know about the poison just yet.

"I still have some time left. This isn't over just yet. But I'll give you one last chance to give up. Spare yourself a lot of pain."

"I'm not afraid of pain. If inflicted the right way, it can be glorious. Soon, I'll be able to show you exactly what I mean. We'll be able to experience the wonderful agony together, during the ceremony." He lowered his scythe, taking a step forward.

Automatically, Mika raised her whip, not wanting to let him get too close. Now, she was beginning to worry. Surely the poison should have taken effect by now! Maybe the container hadn't completely broken, or she had been wrong about it working on him.

He took another step closer, then suddenly lunged forward. Mika gasped, jerking her wrist to bring her whip up, intending to flick it towards him. But nothing happened. Her arm raised, as did the whip, but she couldn't snap it towards him. Following the length of the whip downward, she saw why. He was standing on the tip.

Hidan gave a short bark of laughter. "Nice try. I remembered what you said about trying to stop that fucking whip. You were wrong about it being unstoppable, though. There's one obvious weakness that even your chakra can't overcome. All I have to do is step on the end, and you're helpless, aren't you?"

Again, he raised his scythe high above his head. Mika's eyes widened, and she released the handle of the whip, leaping backwards, just as his scythe began to descend. But halfway through, he suddenly stopped, his arms trembling. "What…?"

Mika continued to back away as Hidan fell to his knees, shuddering. Had the poison finally begun to work? It looked like it. Severe pain was one of the effects of this particular poison. She came to a stop just out of his reach, watching him carefully.

Placing his hand over his chest, he looked up at her. "What the hell did you do?" he hissed. "That little wound couldn't possibly be enough to do this to me." He gasped softly, trying to take a deep breath. It was getting difficult to breathe…

"You can feel it now, can't you? That tightness in your chest. The paralysis from the poison is spreading. That's the second effect. Pain is the first." She moved further away, picking up the pike he had first thrown at her. "But don't worry. The paralysis isn't too bad. It won't stop your breathing completely. But it _can_ make it feel like you're suffocating."

She moved back over to him, the pike in her left hand. When she was just in front of him, she reached out, pulling his scythe away. By now, the paralysis had spread to his arms, and she was easily able to take it from him. "It would be so ironic, wouldn't it, if you could die? I would be able to kill you with your own weapons. Still, I suppose dealing what would be a fatal blow would be just as good."

Hidan looked up at her, his vision slightly blurry. This was absolutely unbelievable. This little bitch had managed to get him into a deadly situation not once, but twice, in less than twenty-four hours? But still, he wasn't panicking. Let her do all the damage she wanted to him. It wouldn't matter; he was immortal. Granted, it would take a while for him to heal, but there wasn't much time left in her test. But, as much as he hated to admit it, it was beginning to look like she was going to win.

Mika angled herself slightly, holding up the pike. In one smooth move, she drove it forward, piercing through his chest. Without giving him a chance to react, she gripped his scythe in both hands, swinging it towards him. Like the pike, it entered his flesh easily, the triple blades embedding themselves horizontally into his body, just below the pike.

A gush of blood erupted from his mouth, and he coughed. But to her surprise, he stayed upright, his eyes fixed on her.

"I'm not quite finished yet." She pushed him backwards just enough so that her whip was free. Picking it up, she ran her chakra through the segments, animating it. It coiled tightly around him, binding his arms tightly to his sides. Keeping hold of the end of it, she backed up, sitting down a short distance away.

Despite her nap, she was tired. This battle had been both physically and emotionally draining. This had taken the last of her energy. She had never attacked a helpless enemy before. It had been harder than she could have imagined.

"We'll wait here until dawn. The others will find us, I'm sure." At least this way, no one could say that she hadn't done any damage. The proof was right there. It would take a while for the poison to clear his body, but even then, with the amount of blood he had lost, combined with her whip acting as a rope to bind him, Hidan wouldn't be able to escape.

Keeping a firm hand on the handle of the whip, she sat back, watching him. Despite the fact that he had to be weakened, he was still glaring at her, though she thought she could see a hint of something that hadn't been there before: respect.

"You…would have made a wonderful sacrifice. I'll still be…looking for my chance. Don't let your guard down."

Mika nodded. "I'll remember that. Now shut up. It has to hurt, talking like that."

A flicker of a smile was Hidan's only answer as they fell silent, waiting for dawn to break.


	17. Chapter 9: The Aftermath

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or any related characters. No money is made from the writing of this story.

* * *

Shortly before dawn, Mika heard footsteps coming closer. Her head raised, and she looked around, trying to pinpoint the direction of the sound. A moment later, she spotted a shape that was just a bit darker than the surrounding shadows.

That shape materialized into Deidara. He gave her a small smile, though it quickly faded when he saw the state Hidan was in. His visible eyebrow shot up in surprise. "And here I thought Hidan might have been too tough of an opponent for you to take on so soon. Looks like I underestimated you, un."

The immortal was now sitting in a pool of his own blood, and bordering on unconsciousness. At the sound of Deidara's voice, he looked up. "Fuck you," he spat, his voice hoarse. "This doesn't mean a damn thing. I went easy on her. If I hadn't been forbidden to do any actual harm, she'd be dead by now."

Deidara moved over to the immortal, looking him over. The severe burns that had been on his body had almost completely healed, but Deidara could still make out the faint scars. He had seen the violent explosion from where he and Kakuzu had been waiting. It looked like Hidan hadn't been able to escape it. "Since when do you follow orders? I'd think you would jump at the chance to defy Leader. Should I tell Kakuzu that you've finally learned how to behave yourself and be obedient? He'll be happy to hear that, I'm sure."

Hidan growled, straining against the whip that still held him. The poison had begun to wear off, giving him limited motion. "If you do that, I'll kill you!" His efforts caused another trickle of blood to emerge from the corner of his mouth, dripping down onto his already stained chest.

Deidara grinned almost sadistically. "You should be still. If you lose any more blood, you might really die." It was rare for him to get Hidan in a position like this, and he intended to take advantage of it. He knew better than to push too far, but he thought he could get away with this much, if he was careful.

Taking note of Hidan's absent cloak, he frowned thoughtfully. "It looks like that explosion really did a number on you. Were you caught completely in the blast?" He had been to the site, just before coming here, and had seen the devastation that had resulted. If it had been anyone but Hidan, they wouldn't have survived. "That's one fatal blow, from the explosion. So that would total up to three, counting these. That pike looks like it's piercing your heart, and I know your scythe is hitting at least one vital organ, un." He nodded to Mika. "You can let him go now."

Mika stood up, unwrapping the whip from around Hidan. It vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving her empty-handed. "So, do I pass my test?"

Deidara shook his head. "We'll have to let Leader decide that. Zetsu is waiting for us at the base; he'll take our report back, un." His gaze traveled down to her side, where her shirt was stained with blood. "You should also get that looked at. Do you have enough chakra to heal yourself?"

"I don't know," she answered, shrugging. "I'd have to take a look at it; see how deep it is. I might be able to heal it on the surface, to stop the bleeding. Don't worry, though. It won't stop us from traveling. With a light bandage, I'll be fine."

Hidan pulled himself to his feet, ripping the weapons out of his body with only a slight growl of pain. "Hey, don't forget what I told you. If I see my chance, I'll take it."

Mika watched him silently for several seconds. "If you'll give me time to regain a bit of my chakra, I can heal you. I know that you heal quickly, but you've already lost a lot of blood."

He narrowed his red-violet eyes in suspicion. "Why the hell would you want to do something like that? I've already told you that I'm looking for a chance to kill you. You should be wanting to keep as far away from me as you can, and here you are, offering to heal me? Are you insane?"

She shrugged. "It was just an offer; you don't have to take it. But if I pass this test, we'll be comrades. I was taught to take care of my comrades, no matter who they are. It was my fault that you were injured like that, so I should be the one to take responsibility for taking care of your wounds."

Hidan waved his hand dismissively. "I'll pass. I don't need your help." Moving stiffly, he placed his scythe on his back, and strapped the pike to his waist. He started to walk away, but then paused, looking back over his shoulder. "Don't tell Kakuzu about this, got it? The last thing I need is for him to think that I'm some sort of damn weakling. He bitches at me enough as it is."

Despite herself, a brief smile came to her face. "I won't say anything, but won't he find out anyway, when we hear whether or not I passed the test? Not to mention your wounds, unless you plan to hide out somewhere until you heal completely. I'm sure he'll be able to piece together what happened, even if we stay quiet."

"I don't give a damn; I'm not taking that chance. The less he knows, the better." He grimaced. Of course, he knew better than to think that this would work; Kakuzu had probably known what the outcome of the fight would be before it even began.

Without another word, Hidan turned, disappearing into the forest. Deidara watched him go with one eyebrow arched. "Why _did_ you offer to heal him, really? If you're hoping to make him change his mind about turning you into a sacrifice, it won't work. Hidan doesn't believe in mercy. All he cares about is pleasing his god, and even then, he has limited patience."

Mika shrugged. "I don't know. It's just…a medic's job, to heal someone who's injured. Regardless of whether they like you or not, you should always do what you can, you know? I'll admit that I don't like him; he scares me. And I know that he'll soon heal on his own, but…" She sighed. "I'm sorry, I know I'm not making much sense. Maybe it's something only another medic could understand."

Deidara moved a bit closer to her, resting one hand lightly against her injured side. "Let's go back to my room and get this looked at, un. You don't want to get an infection." He looked her over, realizing that, besides a few superficial scratches, she was otherwise unharmed. "How did you manage to keep him from cutting you to pieces?"

"To be honest, I think he really _was_ holding back when we fought. I did think that he was planning on killing me, once or twice, but he never tried. Not seriously, anyway." She gestured to her side. "This was just a fluke, if you want to know the truth. We both struck at each other at the same time, and I left my side unguarded. I didn't think he would actually try to hit me with his scythe at such close range."

She knew better to think that she was a better fighter than he was; she might have been able to match him in speed, and her whip was more versatile than his scythe, but in terms of strength and ruthlessness, he far outclassed her. His immortality was both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, he didn't have to worry about being injured by his enemies, so he never had to guard himself. But at the same time, this was also a flaw; it made him reckless, enabling his enemies to deal debilitating blows that would slow him down, and eventually give them the upper hand. That, she was sure, was how she had won. He had been careless, and he had also underestimated her.

But he had also been correct in saying that, had he not been under a restriction, he would have killed her. She had managed to hit him three times; would that be enough to prove herself to Pein?

She followed Deidara silently back through the trees, towards the base. "How long will it take for…uh… Leader to make his decision about me?" She was hesitant to call Pein by name; none of the others did, and she was afraid that they would view it as disrespectful if she didn't do the same.

Deidara considered this. "Probably half a day or so, un. It won't take him that long to decide, but after hearing Zetsu's report, he'll most likely hold off on telling us, giving both you and Hidan a chance to recover."

_More like giving me a chance to sweat it out; driving myself insane, wondering whether or not I'm going to be killed… _Mika looked away, not sure that she really wanted to know the answer to her next question. "And…if I fail? What will happen to me then?"

He didn't answer at first, nor did he turn to look at her. "You won't fail. Three would-be fatal injuries should be more than enough to prove you're qualified to join us, un." There was a pause. "But…if you did… You would be given to Hidan, to use in his ritual. You know that he has to make a regular sacrifice to his god in order to retain his immortality? It isn't simply killing. The ritual is designed specifically to make that person suffer. Usually, if he has the time, he'll draw out that person's death, before using a blow through the heart to kill them." He considered telling her everything, but decided against it; that would take too much time, not to mention making her panic. "Simply put, he has a way to link himself to his opponent. Any damage he does to himself is also done to that person. You can see why immortality would be helpful, in this case."

Behind him, Mika had turned pale. That was worse than she had imagined… Bad enough simply killing someone, but _torturing _them? Now that the test was over, the seed of doubt that she had managed to suppress suddenly began to grow. Was that the fate that awaited her? Even if she had managed to get three good hits on him, he _had_ been going easy on her…

As if sensing her fear, Deidara turned to look at her. "You don't have anything to worry about," he insisted. "If Leader hadn't thought you could succeed, he wouldn't have given you this test. Trust me, un. You're too valuable for us to throw you away. Think of this more as a formality. We all had to go through something like this."

She nodded slowly. "Maybe…but weren't you fighting with the intention of _not_ joining? Death was never an outcome for you. If you had won…"

"Do you really believe that I had a choice? That fight was over the moment they found me. If, by some miracle, I _had_ won, they probably would have eventually killed me, un. I doubt they ever had any intention of letting me go. With Akatsuki, that's how it works. If you're talented enough to be chosen by Leader, either you join, or you die. You probably wouldn't be killed immediately… We would try other ways of convincing you to join us. But if you still refused… Well, why give someone else the opportunity to get a hold of your talents?"

"So Akatsuki has the 'if we can't have you, no one can' mentality? That's encouraging."

Deidara gave a short laugh. "Actually, in your case, it is, un. You've already agreed to join us. You have the qualifications to be a member; this test was just to prove that to everyone else. If that wasn't enough, you're a medic. That fact alone should be enough to convince Leader to let you join us."

"I hope you're right. I'm not ready to die just yet."

By the time they made it back to the base, the sun had begun to rise above the horizon, casting its warm glow over them. Kakuzu was nowhere to be found; Mika figured he must have gone back inside when her test had finished. There was also no sign of Zetsu. Had he been aware of the fight, or had he been waiting inside the entire time?

Noticing her looking around, Deidara gave a half-smile of amusement. "Expecting an attack? You're safe, I promise, un. Try to relax. Worrying yourself sick won't do you any good."

"It isn't that. I was just wondering where Kakuzu went. I saw him come outside to speak to you, but after that, I don't know where he went. Did he stay to see the entire fight?" Not that he would have been able to see much; it had taken place deep in the forest. He had probably seen the blast from the explosion, but other than that…

"For a while, he stayed. He thought Hidan would actually go through with killing you as soon as he'd caught up with you, un." Inwardly, so had he, but he didn't say this aloud; it might make her think that he didn't have faith in her abilities. "But when Hidan didn't come back, he eventually lost interest. He said that he had better things to do than waste his time watching the trees blow in the wind, un." Unsealing the door to the base, he led her inside, back towards his room.

"So…why did you stay? Kakuzu has a point. If you couldn't see the fight, why wait outside all day? You didn't think that I would try to run away or something…?"

He shook his head, opening the door to his room and moving inside. "Not at all. I waited outside because I would end up driving myself insane, wondering if you were all right, un. Even though I couldn't see what was happening, I kept thinking you might eventually come close to the edge of the forest, where I would be able to hear you. I saw the smoke from the explosion, but that was the only hint I had as to what was going on."

Mika blinked, stopping in the middle of the room. "You were…worried about me?" For some reason, his words sent a surge of warmth through her. Although she wanted to protest that she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, she couldn't bring herself to snap at him, as she normally would have.

This time, Deidara didn't reply immediately. Instead, he moved over to the table in the corner, opening a small drawer and reaching inside. After rummaging around for a moment, he pulled out a small tube of cream, and a roll of bandages. "Come here. Take off your overshirt, and sit down on the bed, un."

"I can do it myself, you know," she grumbled. But despite her words, she sat down on the edge of the bed, unzipping her overshirt the rest of the way, and letting it slip from her shoulders.

"I know you can. But I want to be the one to take care of you, this one time, un. You can agree to that, can't you?" He knelt down in front of her, putting the bandage aside on the bed, and raising the hem of her mesh undershirt with his free hand.

She shuddered slightly as the cool air of the room came in contact with her previously-covered skin. The shirt slipped up over the bottom of her ribcage, and she looked down at Deidara, watching him curiously. How far did he intend to raise it up?

The wound – and the bottom curve of her breast - soon came into view. It stretched across the top of her ribs, though it didn't look too deep. But it was a bit difficult to get a good look at it; she still wore her bindings, beneath the shirt. "I'll need you to take these off, so I can see it better, un."

Mika hesitated, then nodded. Reaching behind her, she found the knot, untying the bindings. Slowly, she began to unwind them, being careful to keep herself covered by her shirt. At last, they came free, and she put them aside.

Lightly, he pressed the tips of his fingers against the edges, making Mika give a soft hiss. "Sorry," he whispered. "I just want to make sure-"

"It didn't hit the bone," she said, cutting him off. "It was just a glancing blow." She fell silent for a moment as he opened the tube of cream, spreading a bit of it carefully over the wound. It stung, but she didn't protest. A faint minty scent drifted up to her, making her smile. "An antiseptic cream really isn't necessary," she mumbled, mostly to herself. "The cut isn't too deep."

Deidara glanced up at her curiously. "How did you know what it was? There's no label on it, un."

She gave him a half-smile. "I'm a medic, remember? I can tell by the smell of it. I've used that on patients so many times I could identify it in my sleep." Her smile widened. "Besides, putting an antiseptic on a wound is common sense." Pausing thoughtfully, she tilted her head to the side. "You seem like you know a bit about wounds, yourself. But I guess you've all had to learn to fend for yourselves, huh?"

He nodded, tearing off a small length of the bandage and using it to carefully clean the blood off her skin. "More or less. We all know how to take care of minor wounds, but if we're ever severely injured – like I was when I took you – then we're in trouble, un. Things are about to get very dangerous, now that we're collecting the Tailed Beasts, so we can't be as carefree as we've been in the past. We can't take the chance of one of us being killed." Tearing another square of bandage off, he carefully fixed it into place over the wound. "Once you've recovered your chakra, you can heal that, but leave it as it is for now."

Mika laughed in amusement. "You really _do_ sound like a medic. Don't worry, I'm not going to waste any of my chakra. I know my own limits better than anyone." She leaned back, propping herself up on her hands. "Can I ask you a question? When you first brought me here, you threatened me, in order to convince me to declare my defection from my village. Do you remember that?"

His fingers, which had been gently smoothing the bandage down over her side, went still. "Yes, I remember." His voice was surprisingly hesitant as he spoke. He sighed. "I'm sorry, about that. It was the only way I had-"

Reaching up, she placed a finger over his mouth, silencing him. "You don't have to apologize. I didn't bring it up to make you feel guilty. I just wanted to know if what you said was the truth. About those bombs, I mean. Did you really put them inside of me, or was that just a bluff?"

For a long time, Deidara was silent. "It was the truth. For a short while, at least. Once you marked through your forehead protector, I knew that there was no danger of you trying to leave, un. Besides, where would you have gone? You didn't know where we had taken you, and you wouldn't have gotten very far before one of us caught you again."

Mika nodded slowly. "So, after I did as you wanted, you deactivated them?" Strangely, her voice was completely calm. If anything, the only emotion reflected in it was curiosity.

"That's right. From that moment, you were completely free, un. You just didn't know it, apparently." His fingers slipped downward, running lightly over her bare skin. "I _am_ sorry about that. Threatening you, I mean." Leaning forward, he rested his forehead against her chest.

She stiffened slightly in surprise, but didn't pull away from him. Slowly, she reached up, placing one hand behind his head, and curling her fingers through his hair. "If you had told me that in the beginning, I don't think I could have forgiven you. That was a nasty little trick. But now… I don't really mind. I still care for the people in my village, but I don't want to go back. You really have freed me. It just took me a while to realize it."

Leaning back a few inches, she placed her hand underneath his chin, tilting his head up. She gave him a smile, then slowly leaned forward again, kissing him softly. It was the first time she had ever truly initiated anything between them, and it made her a bit nervous. But she didn't hesitate.

The hand that Deidara had placed on her side slowly slipped around her back, pulling her closer. He slid his other hand underneath her thighs, lifting her up. Pulling himself up onto the bed, he placed her in his lap, not breaking the kiss. Instead, he deepened it, running his tongue along her bottom lip, trying to persuade her to open her mouth for him.

It took her a moment before she responded, but at last, she did as he wanted. He slowly explored her mouth, finally pulling back and giving her an almost wicked smile. "I didn't know you were so adventurous," he whispered, reaching up and brushing a lock of hair back out of her face.

"I'm not, usually," she replied, somewhat breathlessly. "I'm sorry, I don't know what happened. I just…"

"Don't say you're sorry. It means you thought what you did was a mistake, un. That kissing me, having feelings for me, is a mistake." He paused. "But you don't, do you." It wasn't really a question.

Mika shook her head. "No, of course not. Having feelings for someone could never be a mistake. I was apologizing because I didn't know if you wanted me to kiss you or not, that's all. If you didn't, then…I'm sorry."

He arched one eyebrow. "I kissed you back. Did that seem like something I didn't want to do?" He leaned forward, placing another kiss on the side of her neck. His hand caressed her back, running his fingers along her spine, and making her shiver.

"Well, no, but…" She inhaled, trying to suppress a small whine. What he was doing felt nice… It wasn't long before she became aware of a familiar ache growing deep within her. Squirming in his lap, she tried to block it out. Now wasn't the time to be feeling something like this!

But Deidara was persistent. The kisses to her neck became soft nips, then switched back again, alternating. He knew exactly what he was doing. At first, he hadn't been entirely sure, but when she'd begun to move around, he became sure. She was definitely responding to this. Now, if only he could…

"Why don't you make yourself a bit more comfortable? Your shirt is soaked in blood; you should take it off, un. I'll take it and get it washed for you, while you rest." Not that he intended to let her rest just yet. He had something else in mind, first. Something that she had no doubt caught on to by now. The tricky part would be to persuade her to cooperate, without scaring her.

When she didn't reply, he tried again. "I'll find you more bindings to wear, to replace these, and you can wrap yourself in a blanket until your clothes are clean. What do you say? I know you don't like being undressed in front of me, so I won't force you, un. This'll be entirely your decision. I'll even stay in another room, if that'll make you feel more comfortable."

In truth, Mika was tempted. She _did_ want to have her clothes cleaned, but she wasn't sure about the rest of his offer. He was right about her being uneasy when she was undressed, but she also didn't want to be left alone in here. "All right. But…I don't want you to go. Don't leave me by myself."

This made him arch one eyebrow. Was she afraid? "Relax. I won't go anywhere if you don't want me to. I won't leave." He stood up, helping her to her feet. Pulling the top blanket off the bed, he handed it to her. "You don't have to say it, un. You want me to turn around, right?" His voice was amused.

Mika couldn't stop the smile from appearing on her face. "Yeah, that's right. Thank you." As he turned his back, she slipped the mesh shirt over her head, letting it fall to the ground. She wrapped the blanket around herself, then sat back down on the bed. "I'm finished. You can turn back around now."

Deidara took a seat next to her on the bed. "I know that I promised to stay with you, but I do have to leave for a moment if you want your clothes cleaned, un. I'll come right back, and I'll still be in this hall, just a couple of rooms away."

She reached out, placing one hand on his arm. "You said that you wanted me to rest, right? Then go after I'm asleep."

He watched her closely, reading her expression. It was possible that the request was an innocent one – more than possible, given her personality – but it was also possible that she was asking him for something more. He was aware that he was probably reading too much into it, but he wanted to be absolutely sure. It was a big risk; if he was wrong, he might be pushing her into something that she wasn't ready for, and it would just be that much longer before she felt comfortable enough around him to try again. But if he was right, and he didn't take this chance, it would give her the wrong idea; she might think that he wasn't that interested in her.

It would be so much easier if she had more confidence in herself. When she had kissed him, it had been gentle, but she hadn't been afraid. There had to be some way to light that fire in her, and make her initiate the contact between them. That way, she would go only as far as she wanted to.

He thought about it for several seconds. There might be a way… Patting the bed, he gave her a disarming smile. "Make yourself comfortable. I'll stay with you until you fall asleep, un." Moving back across the bed, he leaned up against the wall, making sure that there was enough room left for her to lay beside him. "Come on."

She lay back, propping her head up in one hand. Her eyes closed, and she gave a soft sigh. Although she _was _drained of energy, she wasn't quite ready to sleep just yet. There was still the small matter of the ache within her. She'd hoped that it would go away, but so far, it hadn't moved. If anything, it seemed to grow stronger as his scent reached her.

Her eyes opened again when she felt him place his hand against her side. A tingle ran through her, and she turned her head, looking down at where his hand was. He had rested it at the bottom of her ribcage, just below the wound. As she watched, his fingers slowly began to move, caressing her skin through the blanket. His gaze was fixed on her, but she couldn't read anything in it.

"Relax," he whispered. "You've definitely earned a rest." His hand moved slightly to the side, coming closer to her breast. But just when she was about to say something, he moved back away again. A moment later, he repeated the motion.

Mika swallowed hard, closing her eyes. She could feel her body beginning to warm up, and she bit her lip, her brow furrowing. It didn't seem that he was planning on actually touching her. This touch was probably innocent, she reminded herself. Strangely, that thought sent a trickle of disappointment through her.

Deidara watched her closely. Maybe she had better willpower than he'd first thought. She was definitely feeling _something _from this, but would it be enough? Perhaps it was time to step it up a bit. His hand began to move downward, curving over her stomach, then creeping lower. When he reached the top of her shorts, he stopped, then reversed the path. He felt her give a little shudder, but she remained silent.

A smile crept onto his face, but it disappeared before she could see it. This was more like it. If this didn't get to her, nothing would. With his other hand, he brushed her hair back off her shoulder, then leaned forward. He placed his lips against her neck, but did no more. From here on out, it would have to be up to her.

The heat continued to spread through her body, making her breathing speed up. She clenched her legs together, biting her lip. Though she had thought this was just an innocent movement to begin with, that idea was slowly slipping away. No, he was up to something. But what she found odd was that he never seemed to make any further moves.

Slowly, she turned partway over, looking up at him. "I'm having a hard time getting any rest like this," she said after a moment.

He inwardly cursed. Damn…it looked like this wasn't going to work after all. Well, maybe another time, then. He hadn't taken into account that she might be shaken up after her test; she might just want to be left alone. But when he started to pull his hand away, she caught his wrist.

"Maybe…you could help me to relax?" Her words were laced with a hidden meaning, one that he picked up on immediately. This _had _worked, after all. He had just given up too soon.

Giving her a smile, he nodded. "I would love to, un. Did you have something in mind?" He picked up a lock of her hair, twirling it around one finger as he waited for her answer. Although he could have taken control back at that point, he decided to wait just a bit longer. He had to be sure that this was what she really wanted, and the only way to do that was to have her ask for it.

At first, she didn't respond. She knew what it was she wanted – what she would have to ask for. But could she really…? Taking a deep breath, she reached up, placing one hand over his. "I want…" Even in the low light of the room, Deidara could make out a blush forming on her face. "I want you to touch me."


	18. Chapter 10: The Final Decision

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any related characters. No money is made from the writing of this story.

A/N: Okay, I'll admit it. I've had this lying around in a folder mostly finished for a few weeks now, I just never got around to completing it until now. ...don't kill me!

* * *

Deidara took her chin in his hand, turning her face gently towards him. He leaned forward, kissing her softly. Resting his hand over her stomach, he let it slowly creep beneath the blanket she had wrapped around herself. She jumped when he first came into contact with her bare skin, but she didn't try to stop him.

He ran his fingers lightly over her body, moving closer and closer to her breasts. Mika's breath caught in her throat, and she closed her eyes as she felt a tingle shoot through her blood. The heat that accompanied it was all but obliterating her nervousness, much to her relief. Maybe she would be able to enjoy this after all.

She gasped as she felt his fingers trail along the underside of her breasts, and she bit her lip. It didn't take her long to realize that he was moving slowly, for her sake, although she had given him permission to do this. He was still giving her a chance to back out, even now.

Resting her hand on his arm, she slid it upwards, over his shoulder. Curling it around the back of his neck, she pulled him down to her, pressing her lips against his. Unlike before, this kiss was more eager. They were both breathless when she finally broke the kiss. Leaning back, she rested her hand against the side of his face.

"I never asked about your arm," she whispered. He certainly hadn't been favoring it; in fact, there was no sign at all that he had ever been injured.

Deidara gave a short laugh of amusement. "Is now really the best time to be talking about this?" he asked, tracing soft patterns on her stomach with one finger. "Don't spoil the mood with medicine, un." But when he saw the look she gave him, he sighed. "I'm fine. The bones have completely healed. There's no pain, no discomfort, not even any stiffness. Now drop it."

The words themselves might have been harsh, but the tone in which he said them was gentle, so as not to hurt her feelings – if such a thing were even possible. He'd already learned that not much fazed her; she usually just grew angry if something upset her. But again, that wasn't something he wanted to do. He wanted her to let him do this; it was past time. Already, he had seen the growing attraction she had to him, though she had tried to hide it.

That continued to puzzle him. Why was she so determined to deny both of them the pleasure they so wanted? Occasionally, he saw her determination waver, and when it did, he caught a quick glimpse of her true thoughts reflected in her eyes. In a way, he could understand her hesitation. In her village, she had been taught that Akatsuki were criminals. And they were. But she was one of them now. There was no reason for her to try to keep her distance from him any longer.

He wanted to tell her this, but he knew that she probably wouldn't take it well. Perhaps another time, when he wasn't depending on her cooperation. She had to give in sooner or later. Hopefully, once she had a taste of the pleasure he could give her, she would see that there was no shame in submitting to her desires, whatever they might be.

Putting these thoughts aside for now, he leaned forward, nipping gently at her neck. His hand came up to cup her breast, and Mika arched against him, giving a quiet whine. She gripped his arm tightly, and for a moment, he thought she would push him away.

"Don't fight me," he whispered. "I'm not going to hurt you, I promise, un. Close your eyes, and relax. I'll make sure you enjoy this." He placed a light kiss on the hollow of her throat, trailing down to her collarbones. Lightly, he ran his thumb over the peak of her breast, feeling it harden beneath his touch.

A trickle of pleasure flowed through Mika's blood, and she shifted on the bed, her breath catching in her throat. To her surprise, she realized that she wanted more. What he was doing certainly felt nice, but it wasn't nearly enough. In fact, it was only making the ache within her worse.

The hand that she had rested on his arm slid up and over, coming to rest in the center of his chest. "Please," she whispered, her voice barely audible. He went still, watching her through one ice-blue eye. His expression held the smallest hint of a question, but more than that, it was knowing – he had a feeling he knew what she would ask. But just to be sure…

"You've changed your mind?" His voice was deceptively innocent, with just the right amount of disappointment, as if he truly believed she wanted him to stop, and was disheartened by the thought. He watched as she bit her lip, looking away. This was a side of her he wasn't used to. Most often, she was hot-tempered and quick to speak her mind, but now she was showing her shy side.

"No, I…I want you to keep going," she whispered at last, not meeting his gaze. "Don't stop, please." Her fingers toyed idly with a strand of golden hair that had fallen over his shoulder, betraying her restlessness.

A smile came to his face; as he had thought. She was in too deep to back out now, just as he'd wanted. "I'm not going to stop, un," he assured her, leaning forward to place a kiss on her forehead. His hand began to slip down over her body, stopping when he reached the top of her shorts. He glanced downward, then back up at her. "But are you absolutely sure this is what you want?" There was no need to ask, really; he knew what her answer would be. But he wasn't asking for his own benefit. She needed to hear herself say it, so that she could begin to accept that it was the truth.

Mika nodded. "I'm sure. If I wasn't, I wouldn't have asked. I know what I want." Her voice was firm; she didn't want him to think that she had any second thoughts about this. If she gave the slightest hint that she was unsure, he would stop, and that just wouldn't do. It was true that she was still a bit nervous, but it wasn't nearly enough to make her change her mind. Mostly, it was the nervousness that accompanied doing something new, rather than the true fear of doing something she didn't want to do.

Deidara gave her a tiny smile. "Good," he whispered. "I don't want you to regret doing this, un." Agonizingly slowly, he slipped his hand underneath the waistband of her shorts. Almost immediately, he encountered the soft fabric of her underwear. Tracing the top of it with one finger, he arched one eyebrow. "This'll be easier if you completely undress."

She shook her head stubbornly. "No; I want to stay at least halfway dressed. It _is_ possible to do like this, isn't it?" Admittedly, it might be a bit difficult, but surely not impossible.

As she expected, he nodded, albeit hesitantly. "Yes, but it won't be as comfortable. You probably won't enjoy it as much this way, un." His fingers crept down a fraction of an inch, and she shifted slightly, but never took her eyes off him.

"I'll deal with it. I'm not about to give in to _everything_, especially since this is the first time we've done something like this." She wasn't quite ready to let him see her completely unclothed, which was why, even now, she kept the blanket he'd given her tightly wrapped around herself.

It wasn't that she had anything to hide, really. Like all ninja, she bore the countless scars she had accumulated on missions, but they were small, and easily overlooked. But something about the thought of baring herself completely to him made her hesitate. It signified something very important to her; a line that she wasn't sure she was ready to cross just yet.

She knew that he was getting frustrated with her – that was probably why he was doing this. From the beginning, she'd known what he was up to, but she had played along, mainly because she didn't know what another rejection would do. But it was also because she was beginning to wonder what it would be like to give herself to him. It was getting harder and harder to convince herself that she shouldn't do this.

Finally, she had come to a sort of compromise with herself. Although she had decided that she wouldn't let him take her, she could still let him touch her, and, if he wanted, she would do the same for him. That would have to do, at least for now. She wanted to be completely comfortable around him before they went any further. This was already difficult enough.

Her thoughts came to a grinding halt as she felt his fingers slide lightly over her folds. Although he was touching her through the fabric of her underwear, it was thin enough that she felt a tingle of pleasure from his actions. That tingle grew stronger as he increased the pressure of his fingers, and he smiled as he felt the cotton begin to grow damp from her desire.

He continued the slow movements for a couple of minutes, until he was certain that she was comfortable with what he was doing. Watching her closely, he leaned forward, kissing her neck lightly. Almost automatically, her head tilted back, and she closed her eyes, giving a soft sigh of what he was sure was pleasure.

At last, his hand slid upwards, until he felt the waistband of her underwear. As he slipped his fingers beneath it, he gave her neck a sharp bite, to distract her from what he was doing. If he gave her time to think about it, she would probably change her mind and try to stop him.

His plan worked. Mika gasped at the bite, more from surprise than anything else. Before she realized what was happening, she felt a wave of pleasure flow though her. It had been a long time since she had felt a sensation like that, and a low moan forced its way out of her throat before she could bite it back. She reached up, but instead of pushing him away, she wrapped her arms around him as he carefully worked two fingers into her center.

"Sorry about the bite, un," he whispered, licking the slightly red flesh. He hadn't bitten her hard enough to leave a bruise, but there would be a red mark there for a few hours. Still, even though he was apologizing, he wasn't truly sorry. She was _his_, for better or worse. And since she wouldn't let him take her – _yet_, he told himself with some satisfaction – this was the only way he had to lay claim to her.

"It's… It's all right," she replied breathlessly. It was a bit hard to speak with the electricity shooting through her blood. In truth, the bite hadn't really hurt; it had stung a bit, but that had quickly faded. What she hadn't expected was to feel a spike in the now-familiar ache in her lower belly. If anything, the bite had felt _good_, and that confused her a bit.

But she didn't have long to think on it, as Deidara continued to move his fingers in and out of her, driving the pleasure she was feeling to ever greater heights. The ache was slowly starting to transform into a mounting pressure, signaling her impending climax.

It wasn't much longer before that pressure exploded, causing her to arch her back and give a second cry, though this one was quieter. She knew it was unlikely that anyone would be able to hear her, but it wasn't a chance she wanted to take.

When he was sure that she had ridden out her climax, Deidara withdrew his fingers, and deliberately licked them clean. To his surprise, her essence was slightly sweet. A wicked smirk crossed his face as this discovery brought a thought to his mind. It wasn't something he would be able to put into action right away, but it was something to think about.

He sat up, watching Mika silently. Her eyes were still closed, but her ragged breathing was beginning to slow down, and a moment later, she looked up at him and smiled. "Thank you," she whispered, reaching up to run her fingers lightly down the side of his face.

Returning the smile, he nodded, then slid to the edge of the bed, standing up and collecting Mika's discarded clothes. "Get some sleep. I'll take your clothes to be washed, and be back before you wake up, un."

Turning over onto her side, Mika nodded, her eyes already beginning to drift closed. Now that the last of the tension had drained from her body, she was ready for a long nap. Although, she found herself wishing that he would stay with her. She was beginning to prefer having him at her side. The sound of the door closing was the last thing that she heard as she drifted off to sleep.

Deidara slipped out into the hall, closing the door quietly behind him. As he headed up the hall, he caught sight of a figure leaning against the wall a short distance away. When he realized who it was, he arched one eyebrow. "What are you doing back? I figured you would have wanted to stay in the woods for a while, un."

Hidan straightened from where he was resting against the stone wall, uncrossing his arms. Deidara could see the wounds from his earlier battle with Mika, though they had healed into pink scars. He shook his head. That healing rate was just unnatural.

"Fuck you. I just wanted to go for a little walk before I came back, that's all. I'm not some kind of damn coward who hides and licks his wounds while his enemy gloats over his victory." He took a step closer, his red-violet gaze shifting to the clothes Deidara held. "What the hell are you doing with those? Playing housewife now, are you?"

The blonde made a sound of annoyance. "I just didn't think it was a good idea for her to meet Leader covered in blood and dirt." He paused for a moment. "You never answered my question. Why are you here? Specifically _here_, in my hall."

Hidan grinned, his eyes dancing wickedly. "Can't I pay an old friend a visit without having to undergo a fucking interrogation? I just wanted to come by and say hello, that's all."

Deidara didn't believe it for an instant. The likelihood of Hidan being friendly with _anyone_ was about the same as Kakuzu suddenly deciding to stop caring about his bounties. It simply wasn't possible. He was up to something…but what?

Considering for a moment, Deidara suddenly had a thought. It wouldn't be a good idea to leave Hidan on his own when he was so determined to lurk around, and until Deidara could find out exactly what it was the immortal wanted, he would need to find some way to get rid of him. "Well, since you're feeling so amiable, do me a favor, will you? Zetsu should be coming soon; go and see if he's here yet. I'd go myself, but I have something else I need to take care of, un." He gestured to the bundle of clothes he was holding.

The immortal narrowed his eyes slightly. "What do I look like, your damn errand boy? Do it yourself."

Deidara had expected this answer. "This could be for your benefit, too. The sooner you tell Zetsu about the results of the fight, the sooner you'll know whether you can use Mika for a sacrifice, un." If this didn't guarantee his cooperation, nothing would.

Hidan gave a soft growl, and Deidara could see that he was thinking about refusing. But eventually, the temptation of a sacrifice became too much, and he straightened from where he had been leaning against the wall, turning away. "You owe me for this," he called back over his shoulder. "If this doesn't work out, you'd better find me someone that's at least twice as good, got it?"

The blonde shook his head as Hidan disappeared around the corner. The last thing he wanted was to be indebted to someone, but if he was lucky, Hidan would forget about this little favor.

He opened the door at the end of the hallway, and went inside. Looking over Mika's clothes, he frowned thoughtfully. It wouldn't take very long to wash these by hand. The bloodstain in the side was small, and the dirt could be easily rinsed out.

The room was fairly small, containing only a sink, a table, and a couple of wooden buckets. Deidara placed the clothes on the table, and picked up one of the buckets, which he filled with water from the sink. Placing Mika's overshirt in the water, he began to scrub at the bloodstains, using a scrap of soap that had been lying in the bucket.

As he worked, he let his thoughts wander. If it were up to him, he knew that Hidan would lie to Zetsu, if only to ensure that Mika would be turned down as an Akatsuki member. Thankfully, the scars that lingered on the immortal's body would tell the story. Although the wounds themselves had healed, it would be several more hours before the scars completely faded. Hopefully, Zetsu would come before then.

* * *

Half an hour later, Deidara emerged from the room, Mika's clothes folded over his arm once more. Washing them had taken a bit longer than he'd anticipated, but he figured he still had some time to kill before it was time for the meeting.

He figured wrong, for as he turned back around from closing the door behind him, a dark mass rose up from the ground a few feet away. In an unusual show of patience, Deidara was still, waiting for the plantlike ninja to speak.

It was the black half that broke the silence. "Leader has been informed of the outcome of the fight. He wants you and the girl to come to the anteroom immediately."

Before Deidara could respond with more than a look of surprise, the white half piped up. "He was taken off-guard by what happened. He didn't think she could do it."

As the black half gave a hiss of annoyance, Deidara nodded thoughtfully. "So he's coming here personally, huh?" That could be either very good, or very bad. He'd expected the Ame nin to relay his orders through Zetsu, as he usually did. He'd already seen Mika for himself, so there was really no reason for him to return, even if it was only through a projection.

Without another word, Zetsu turned and began shuffling away, leaving the blonde alone in the corridor. He shrugged and headed back to his room, schooling his features into an expression of calm indifference. It wouldn't do to alert Mika to anything amiss. As far as she was concerned, Pein's arrival was expected.

When he opened the door, he saw that Mika was already awake, sitting up in the bed with the blanket wrapped tightly around her.

"I thought I told you to get some sleep, un," he commented, a trace of humor laced through his words, turning what would have otherwise been a disapproving statement into nothing more than a simple observation.

Mika shrugged. "You did, but I couldn't seem to stay asleep. Maybe it's being in a strange place with hardly any clothes on." She gave him a pointed look, noticing that he had brought her newly-cleaned outfit back with him. "Or maybe it's because I was too worried about the outcome of my test." It was true that she hadn't been able to stop thinking about it since it had first been given to her. The nervousness that she had been able to suppress during the actual fight had now come back full force.

Deidara moved over to the bed, placing her clothes down in front of her. "I don't think you have anything to worry about. Leader's probably just drawing out the decision to make you sweat, un."

Her crimson eyes turned to look at him, their expression unreadable. "Probably? And what if you're wrong? What if the reason it's taking so long is because they're deciding on a way to kill me?"

Deidara was silent for a long moment. "We'll think of that if we absolutely have to. It won't do any good worrying yourself sick when there's no reason to." He only hoped that his voice sounded as confident as he'd meant it to.

Clearing his throat, he turned towards the door. "In any case, your waiting is over. Zetsu told me that Leader's ready for you. He's made his decision. We shouldn't keep him waiting."

Silence reigned for several heartbeats, and suddenly, there was a frantic rustling of cloth as Mika scrambled to her feet and threw her clothes on. They were still slightly damp, and that, combined with the somewhat chilly air, sent a shiver up her spine.

Still, she ignored the discomfort, knowing that she didn't have the time to let them dry properly. In half the time it usually took her to get dressed, Mika was drawing up the zipper on her overshirt and moving to stand beside Deidara.

Despite the tense situation of preparing to walk into the metaphorical lion's den, Mika moved with a speed that surprised and impressed Deidara. He had expected her to still be stiff from her ordeal, but if she was still feeling any adverse effects, she didn't show it.

This would work in her favor. Although her shirt was still torn, and she was in need of a bath to cleanse herself of the dirt and other impurities of the fight, she didn't look any worse for wear, and the fluidity of her movements –though they betrayed her fatigue – showed that, if the situation arose, she could still fight. That kind of stamina was something that Pein would be looking for.

She still had a good portion of her chakra remaining, as well; proof that she knew how to think ahead and conserve her energy, rather than wasting it in a last-ditch effort to win. That wasn't to say that she would never resort to this method if forced into it, but she knew how to rely on strategy first.

Impulsiveness wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but when there were other options, it was better to think through a situation, and plan out several alternatives, should things go wrong. Deidara had learned that himself firsthand when he'd fought the Kazekage. He had underestimated the little brat, and had nearly gotten himself killed in the process.

Of course, he would never be as reckless as Hidan, but, keeping his own mortality in mind, he had resolved to be more careful in future fights. Two impulsive fighters in a team was never a good thing; in fact, it usually spelled certain disaster. If Mika did indeed have more patience than he had originally given her credit for, so much the better.

Opening the door, Deidara paused only long enough to retrieve Sasori's ring from where Mika had placed it on the table in the middle of the room. "We'll be needing this, un," he told her, rolling it casually between his fingers. Mika had to wonder whether he really was as relaxed as he looked, or whether he was just a very good actor. Either way, it helped to calm her own nerves, something she was grateful for.

"I know that you're worried, but don't let them think you're afraid. Showing any kind of weakness will make them think less of you. Be confident; you have nothing to fear. Not many ninja can claim that they killed an immortal, un." He gave her a crooked grin, one that she returned without even really thinking about it.

"I can't say that I really 'killed' him, seeing as how he's still walking around, now can I?"

Deidara shrugged. "No one said he had to _stay_ dead."

Normally, this thought would have made Mika uneasy, but she recognized the conversation as what it was; a way to put her at ease before she met Pein, this time face to face.

In a walk that seemed to both last forever, and be over far too quickly, Mika found herself rounding the corner of the corridor, and walking the short distance to the anteroom. As she had expected, the other members of Akatsuki had gathered once more, with two new additions.

One was nothing more than a vague shadowy outline; one Mika recognized as a hologram from her first meeting with Pein. But unlike before, this figure was different. It wore the bulky cloak, so Mika couldn't tell much about it below the neck, but it had surprisingly piercing amber eyes, the only part of the figure that actually held any color. She wasn't sure, but she thought this one might be female, based on the delicate lines of the face. It seemed to have some kind of hair ornament in the shape of a rough circle, though the details were impossible to make out.

The person standing next to the hologram was the one that quickly drew her eye. She'd thought that she had seen all shapes and sizes in her time as a ninja, but she had never seen anyone quite like this man. He was about the same age as the others, with short spiky hair. This part of him was unremarkable, except perhaps for its vivid color. What immediately caught her attention were the multiple piercings adorning his face. None of them were the more normal hoops or studs favored by so many; instead, they were heavy- looking black metal bars.

She winced before she could stop herself; those had to hurt. Her eyes were then drawn to his. Like before, she found them almost hypnotic. It took a great effort of will to pull her gaze away when Deidara stepped up beside her.

He gestured to the hologram first. "This is Konan. She's our only female member, and our Leader's partner." Mika glanced over to him, wondering if she had imagined the slight emphasis on the word 'partner'. Did he mean that the two of them were more than just a team? Perhaps they were…

She shut down that thought before it could progress any further. It was none of her business, anyway.

Deidara then nodded to the strange-eyed man standing beside Konan. "And you already know Pein, our leader." The way he said the name held a measured amount of respect, even if it was grudging.

Mika's mind immediately flashed back to what Deidara had told her about this mysterious man. He was…different than she had expected. For one, he was much too young to have gained such a fearsome reputation. He couldn't have been more than a couple of years older than her, if that. For another, although she could sense the enormous amount of power that was radiating from him, she could feel no malice. Each member of Akatsuki had a certain coldness to them – some more than others, depending on their personality – but with Pein, it was absent. The feeling she got from him was… The only way that she could think to describe it was a void. He just seemed…empty.

Swallowing hard, she bowed slightly, never taking her eyes off of him. Not knowing whether or not she was supposed to say anything, she followed her first instinct and kept silent, waiting for one of the others to break the silence.

She wasn't disappointed; Pein himself was the one to speak, his voice smooth and quiet. "Zetsu has relayed to me the outcome of your fight. Although it was not in accordance with the order I gave…" he glanced over at where Kakuzu sat, making Hidan grin at the obvious disapproval in his voice, "…it is still acceptable as a test of your abilities. I thought it best to come here myself to give you my decision."

There was a long pause in which the air in the dim anteroom grew almost visible with the tension hanging over them all. Deidara stiffened almost imperceptibly at her side, Hidan leaned forward eagerly, his eyes practically glowing, and Mika could have sworn that her heart had stopped beating.

Years later – or so it seemed to Mika – Pein began speaking again. "I've decided to allow you into our ranks, as a full member of Akatsuki." His voice remained the same as ever, holding none of the pride or other emotions usually present when delivering good news.

The tension that had filled Mika's body swiftly drained out, leaving her feeling somewhat lightheaded. Deidara had been right…she had been scared for nothing.

Her gaze drifted over to Hidan, who had reclined back in his seat, trying to look indifferent, but failing. Even from here, she could see the anger smoldering behind his red-violet eyes. She would have to be careful around him for a while, until his temper cooled off. She didn't know what the rule was about killing other members, and it wasn't one she cared to test out.

Her attention returned to Pein as he resumed speaking. "I trust you still have Sasori's ring? It belongs to you now. Do not lose it."

He looked around at the gathered members, the Rinnegan taking them in one by one. "You have all been given your orders. I expect them to be followed quickly."

There were a couple of nods, but for the most part, the others were still, seeming to be either lost in thought, or simply not caring about the presence of their leader.

Pein watched them for a moment longer, then raised his hands in a seal. In the next instant, he had disappeared in a swirl of smoke. Konan was the next to flicker and vanish, all without a single word to anyone. Zetsu simply sank into the floor, the leafy protrusions covering his upper half closing around him as he did so.

One by one, the other members stood up from the table where they had been sitting. Itachi moved past them like a wraith, leaving Kisame to move over to Mika and clap her heartily on the back, nearly forcing her to her knees with the strength of his hand.

"Congratulations, Mika-san. You're one of us now." The tall ninja grinned, revealing unnervingly sharp teeth. "I knew you had it in you, I just wish I could have seen the fight myself." He looked over at Hidan, who was grumbling to himself as he made his way towards the entrance to the base. "Must've been a good one, to get Leader to come here personally."

Mika gave him a somewhat shaky smile; Kisame had never been anything but friendly towards her, but his appearance alone was enough to make her wary of him. Still, she didn't want to come off as rude by sidling away when he only seemed to want to congratulate her.

With another fang-baring grin, he turned to follow after his partner, who had vanished.

Deidara gave her a light tap on the shoulder, and a small smile. "See? You were nervous for nothing, un. Although…" He looked over at Hidan, who was arguing with an annoyed Kakuzu. "I would keep away from Hidan for a while. He might just decide to go against Leader's orders, and unlike him, you can't be revived."

Mika nodded. "Yeah, I thought of that myself. The last thing I want to do is end up as a sacrifice after finally winning my place here."

"He'll calm down eventually. Right now, he's just so focused on feeding that dark god of his that he can't see anything else." Deidara took her hand, and before she realized what he was doing, he had slipped Sasori's ring onto her thumb. "Here. Think of this as a mark of your worth, un."

Mika looked down at the ring, studying it. It was rather larger than she would have liked, and she had never been one to wear jewelry in the first place. Still, she felt a bit of pride, looking at it. It had been hard-won. That, if nothing else, made it valuable to her.

She looked back up at him, a smile lighting her face. "Leader said that we should get started on the mission. When do we leave?"

Deidara shook his head. "You're still tired from your fight. Leaving now would be a bad idea. After you rest, then we'll go."

She nodded her agreement. A long nap _did_ sound nice, as did a shower. "First thing tomorrow, then? I'd like to restock my equipment, too, if that's possible."

"It is. We have plenty of weapons in storage rooms. Take your pick." He began leading her back towards the room they shared. "But first, you need to sleep."

Mika followed him silently, not about to argue.


End file.
